Punjab Assembly's Monsoon Session Set to Address Key Issues
Anticipated Turbulence in Punjab Assembly's Monsoon Session
Chandigarh, August 2 - The upcoming monsoon session of the Punjab Assembly, commencing on Monday, is expected to be quite tumultuous. Opposition parties, including Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are gearing up to confront the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over pressing issues such as law and order, rising debt, and the alleged paper leak scandal.
Scheduled to run until August 10, the session will begin with a tribute to those who have passed away since the last session concluded. Legislative activities are planned for August 4, 5, 7, and 10, while August 6 will be reserved for non-governmental matters.
There will be a break on August 8 and 9. During this session, the government intends to introduce the Punjab Non-Government Educational Institutions Fee Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at regulating fees in private schools. The government has already decided to cap the annual fee increase for private schools at five percent.
Additionally, it has been determined that if any school has raised fees by more than 15 percent in the past three years, the excess amount collected must be refunded to parents. According to the government, this measure will benefit over 3.2 million students enrolled in more than 7,800 private schools across Punjab. Manpreet Singh Ayali, a leader from the Akali Dal and Waris Punjab De, stated that he will raise issues regarding the deteriorating law and order situation, the alleged paper leak, the police action against sanitation workers in Barnala, and the pending dearness allowance for government employees.
Ayali remarked, “We will address all current issues related to the state in the assembly.” Following the recent exposure of a cheating ring during the pharmacy officer recruitment exam, the opposition has been persistently attacking the AAP government over the alleged paper leak incidents that have occurred over the past four and a half years. However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asserted that no exam paper has been leaked during his tenure.
The opposition is also targeting the Mann government regarding the incident that took place on July 22 in Barnala, where police charged at sanitation workers. It is alleged that the workers threw stones and garbage bags at the police while attempting to halt a cleanup operation. The issue of the anti-blasphemy law is also likely to be prominently discussed in the assembly.
Giani Kuldeep Singh Garghaj, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, dismissed the Punjab government's response regarding the anti-blasphemy law related to religious texts as 'unsatisfactory' on Thursday and announced the formation of a five-member committee to engage in discussions with the AAP government on this matter.