Mann calls special session of Assembly on Sept 22 to bring confidence motion
Chandigarh: Days after the AAP accused the BJP of trying to topple its government in Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said a special session of the state assembly will be called on September 22 to bring a confidence motion.
The ruling party had recently claimed that at least 10 of its MLAs were approached by the BJP with an offer of Rs 25 crore to each of them in a bid to topple the six-month old government.
With 92 MLAs, the AAP has an overwhelming majority in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, while Congress has 18, SAD three, BJP two, and BSP one. The assembly also has an an Independent member.
You must have heard how they tried to contact our MLAs and tried to offer money and other allurements in an attempt to topple the state government which was elected with a huge mandate, Chief Minister Mann said in a video message in Punjabi on Monday.
A few days ago, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had alleged that under the BJP's 'Operation Lotus', some AAP legislators in the state had been approached by the people from the BJP.
The senior AAP leader claimed that seven to 10 AAP MLAs have been approached with offers of money and ministerial positions.
Mann said that people expressed faith in the AAP during the 2022 assembly polls after rejecting the opposition parties, which had a huge sum of money to induce people.
Friends' trust is such a thing that is priceless, he said, adding we will maintain that trust .
AAP's MLAs stand like a rock with the state and Punjabis, said Mann.
To show this confidence in a legal manner, we are calling a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on September 22. During the session, we will show how committed the elected MLAs are to realize the dream of turning Punjab into a vibrant state, said Mann.
The Punjab Police on September 14 registered a case after the ruling AAP complained to the state DGP, alleging that the BJP tried to poach its MLAs. Cheema had met the state DGP along with party MLAs over the issue and demanded a thorough probe.
