The Punjab Vidhan Sabha, on Tuesday, unanimously passed a Censure Motion condemning the removal of the portraits of Babasaheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh by the newly-elected BJP government in Delhi immediately after assuming office.
The motion was moved by Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, who came down heavily on the BJP government of NCT Delhi for insulting the national heroes.
Earlier, raising the issue in the assembly during Zero Hour, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema called for a resolution to be passed by the Vidhan Sabha condemning the actions of the BJP government in Delhi and sent to the President of the country.
Expressing deep concern over the actions of the incumbent Delhi government, he said the capital of the nation has witnessed a grave insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Dalit community since the BJP assumed office. He called the removal of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s pictures an affront to the Dalits of the country.
The state finance minister also highlighted the alarming increase in the atrocities perpetrated on Dalits since the BJP came to power at Centre. He said the instances of rape and blatant attempts to tinker with the constitution have become distressingly frequent, further fueling concerns about the BJP’s intentions to alter the very fabric of the nation’s constitution.
He said this apprehension was substantiated by the disrespect shown to Dr. Ambedkar by Home Minister Amit Shah in the Parliament, which further vitiated the atmosphere and led to the desecration of Dr. Ambedkar’s statue in Amritsar.
Drawing attention to a recent attempt to desecrate the statue of Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for swiftly apprehending the accused.
He said it reflected the government’s commitment to upholding justice and protecting the dignity of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy. In stark contrast, he asserted that if the BJP were in power in Punjab, the accused would have been shielded from accountability.
The finance minister also criticised the BJP’s attempts to dismantle the established institutions and bringing policies like One Nation One Election, which he believes undermine the democratic principles and rights enshrined in the constitution. He accused the saffron party of attempting to do away with the very rights that Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar had championed for the poor and Dalit communities.
Thanking the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa for supporting the cause, Cheema stressed the importance of standing united against any such attempts to erode the rights and dignity of marginalized communities and preserving the values of justice and equality that Babasaheb Ambedkar fought for.
MLAs, Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi and Nachhattar Pal Singh, also strongly criticised the narrow-minded attitude of the BJP government of the NCT Delhi.