Chandigarh, October 23: The second day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha's special session opened in uproar on Friday. Congress legislators demanded that issues concerning the state be discussed first, but Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan began Question Hour, triggering slogan-shouting by the opposition, TV9 Punjabi reported.

Source: TV9 Punjabi

Congress members entered the Well of the House carrying a letter of condemnation and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The opposition alleged that the AAP government had failed to tackle drug trafficking and the state's law-and-order situation — an allegation the treasury benches reject.

Source: National Times

The killing of Mansa anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota stayed at the centre of the protest. Congress MLAs walked out of the House, and Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the party's protest would continue until Jhota's family gets justice. Bajwa alleged that the government was avoiding the opposition's questions and held the Chief Minister politically responsible for the case, demanding his resignation.

Source: Nazrana Times (Punjabi)

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema led the treasury benches' counter-attack. Standing in the House, Cheema targeted new Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh, calling him a member of a 'chitta party' and alleging that the Congress had spread drugs in Punjab and misled the state after taking an oath at Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo. These are Cheema's allegations; the Congress denies wrongdoing and accuses the government of evading debate.

Source: TV9 Punjabi

The confrontation then turned to Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. Cheema moved a privilege motion against Khaira, objecting to what he described as the MLA's unparliamentary language and seeking his suspension for the remaining sittings of the session, National Times reported. The House passed the motion in the absence of Congress members, and TV9 Punjabi reported that Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan suspended Khaira for the rest of the session.

Source: National Times

Congress legislators also protested outside the Vidhan Sabha complex, led by Bajwa and Pargat Singh and wearing black robes, raising slogans against the Chief Minister and pressing their demands on the drug trade and law and order.

Source: National Times

Friday's clash followed a brief opening day on Thursday, when the House paid tributes, including to Jhota, and adjourned after around ten minutes. With the 2027 Assembly elections approaching, drugs and law and order have become the special session's central flashpoint, with both sides trading allegations that the other denies.