Charanjit Singh Channi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi said on Thursday that the detention of an elected MP under the NSA was part of an "undeclared emergency" by the Centre, drawing a sharp response from the BJP who said he was referring to jailed radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh.
During a debate in Lok Sabha, the former Punjab chief minister referred to the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections and said, "This is also an emergency that a Member of Parliament elected by 20 lakh people in Punjab has been detained under the NSA (National Security Act) ... He is unable to speak about his constituency here (in Parliament). This is also an emergency."
While Channi did not name anyone, BJP leaders said he was speaking about Amritpal Singh.
Singh won the Khadoor Sahib constituency by a margin of around 2 lakh votes in this year's Lok Sabha polls.
In a post on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Congress must answer whether the party was in support of the idea of Khalistan that led to the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
"Batting for separatist who wants tukde tukde of India? Rahul ji must answer - the idea of Khalistan that caused the assassination of PM Indira ji is being hailed !! Why does Congress always bat for separatists and terrorists? Yakub, Afzal, 26/11 jihadis, now K terrorists?" he said.
Union minister Giriraj Singh said Congress MP Channi's remarks made inside Parliament were "unfortunate".
"The Khalistani who assassinated Indira Gandhi has received open support from Channi today, which means the Congress is siding with the Khalistanis. This is an attack on the integrity of India...what can I say, I will say action should be taken," he told PTI videos.
BJP MP Dinesh Sharma demanded the expulsion of Channi by Congress.
"Today, Channi, who doesn't even have the status of a 'chavanni' (a quarter-rupee coin), is speaking in support of terrorists and glorifying them. He is working at the behest of anti-national elements from Canada," he told PTI Videos.
"The Congress should expel him, and if Congress doesn't take action against him, it means that somewhere Congress is in cahoots with these anti-social and anti-national elements," he said.
Channi blamed the central government for an "undeclared emergency" in the country even as a heated exchange with BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu during a debate in the Lok Sabha led to a brief adjournment in the proceedings.
During a debate on the Union Budget in the Lower House, Channi also held the BJP government responsible for farmers being termed Khalistanis. He added that his home state Punjab was ignored in this year's budget.
Channi said, "It's not a budget to save the country, it's just to save their government. They haven't addressed the floods in Punjab, haven't raised wages, and have ignored Punjab in this budget. Jalandhar was declared a smart city, but it still has dirty water and a significant drug problem."
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for 30 minutes amid a verbal spat between the former Punjab chief minister and the Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu over certain personal remarks till 2 pm.
Channi referred to the assassination of Bittu's grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. This led to a war of words between Bittu, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP, and Channi.
Bittu countered by making certain personal remarks against Channi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, triggering an uproar.
In a heated exchange, Channi told Bittu, "Your grandfather became a martyr, the day you left Congress." To which, the BJP leader retorted, "My grandfather sacrificed for the country, not for Congress." He also called Channi "the most corrupt person in Punjab".
During his address to the Lok Sabha, Channi accused the government of creating conditions similar to an emergency.
He listed the lack of progress in the Sidhu Moosewala case, action against opposition leaders by central agencies, and alleged mistreatment of farmers, women athletes, and journalists as evidence of this.
The Congress leader also pointed to the long-standing unrest in Manipur and the Hathras gang rape case, in which he said the victim's cremation was rushed.
"The country is facing an undeclared emergency and the BJP is responsible," Channi said.
"Farmers are called Khalistani when they make demands, which aren't fulfilled. This is also an emergency," he added.
The central government, he said, has exhausted its ideas and sincerity after ten years in power, pointing to the absence of the prime minister and the finance minister during "such an important discussion".
"Their seats are empty. They need to explain the budget, but no one is here. This is your sincerity?" he asked.
Channi said, "I come from a poor family and got my education thanks to the Congress government. The BJP's worst move in 2014 was cutting scholarships for minorities and Dalit children."
Slamming the depreciation of the rupee, Channi claimed, "The dollar's value increased by Rs 25 in ten years, whereas during (ex-PM) Manmohan Singh's time, it only increased by Rs 13 in ten years. Sometimes, it feels like there's a competition between the rupee and the government to see which falls faster."
The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice in the post-lunch period as a war of words broke out between the treasury and opposition benches, triggered by Channi's spat with Bittu.