Now Reading: Punjab passes nine Bills in a day amid opposition protests
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Punjab passes nine Bills in a day amid opposition protests
On Monday, the Punjab Assembly passed nine Bills in a single day, including three Bills for digital universities, the GST (Amendment) Bill, and the Outsourced Personnel Bill. The Congress and BJP called…
The Story in Brief
On Monday, the Punjab Assembly passed nine Bills in a single day, including three Bills for digital universities, the GST (Amendment) Bill, and the Outsourced Personnel Bill. The Congress and BJP called the move a "display of majoritarian arrogance" and an insult to democracy, The Hindu reported. Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who had earlier urged an extension of the session, said the government was treating the legislature as a rubber stamp.
BJP Punjab president Kewal Singh Dhillon argued that passing Bills without giving legislators time to read them was not lawmaking. Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the government expected the Opposition to study nine Bills without adequate time. Khaira had previously questioned how six new laws could be debated on the last working day.
The Indian Opinion
Both the AAP government and the opposition share blame. The government should not have rushed nine bills on the last day, but the opposition could have forced debate earlier. The claim that this is a "joke with democracy" is dramatic, yet passing laws without scrutiny weakens institutions. The test will be whether any of these bills face court challenges or require major amendments within a year.
Sources (2): newindianexpress.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
