On the issue pertaining to reservation for Dalits in the state, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs on the fourth day of the budget session on Thursday, staged a walk-out from the assembly. Showing resentment over non-implementation of the 85th amendment related to reservation, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema along with AAP MLAs Sarvjeet Kaur Manuke, Principal Budhram, Kulwant Pandori, Master Baldev Singh Jaito and Manjit Singh Bilaspur came out of the Vidhan Sabha raising slogans.

Addressing a press conference convened after the walk-out, Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Punjab government had passed the 85th Amendment in the Assembly according to which faster promotions and reservation would be given to the Dalits of the state. However, this amendment was not being implemented in the state under the Captain Amarinder regime, he said. Cheema further stated that the Punjab government had issued a notification which ordered the implementation of these amendments but the Department of Personnel of the government issued a different notification which stopped the 85th Amendment from being implemented in the state.

He said that the matter was taken up during the Zero Hour in the assembly, that the Dalits constitute around 37 percent of the population in Punjab, but reservation in outsourcing and contract jobs does not apply. “We have been constantly saying that Captain Amarinder is incapable of running the state. This has made it clear yet again. Captain Amarinder has left the state to be run by ‘Babus’ while he enjoys in his farm house,” said Cheema. He said that Captain neither had a sense of responsibility, nor did he have a shred of authority. “His own officers are rejecting the notification sent by him,” he added. Cheema further said that moreover, Captain Amarinder was showing again and again that his government was anti-Dalit and does not care for their well being.

“Captain government hasn’t released the post-matric scholarship funds because of which thousands of students are suffering. His ministers siphoned off the money meant for these students, but he has not taken any action on it,” he added. He said that Captain had neither allotted 5 marla plots nor had he implemented the Shagun scheme.

The AAP leader said that now, the Captain government was not implementing the 85th Amendment. “Captain Amarinder does not want the Dalits of this state to grow. He has yet again shown that he has failed on all fronts,” said Cheema. On the occasion, MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Amarjeet Singh Sandoa, Kulwant Pandori among other leaders were also present.

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