Chandigarh, Jul 9 (PTI) The Congress as the main opposition in the Punjab assembly will "strongly" raise the "deteriorating" law and order, and "drug menace" issues in the two-day special session of the House starting on Thursday.

The opposition parties are trying to corner the Bhagwant Mann government in the border state over the issues of law and order, land pooling scheme, the state's debt and the drug menace.

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The special session has been called for July 10 and 11.

According to the tentative programme, there will be obituary references on Thursday morning followed by non-official business.

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Legislative business will be conducted on July 11 after which the House will be adjourned sine die.

The Congress has already sought an extension of the session by two more days in order to discuss the law and order and the land pooling scheme issues.

Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Kotli on Wednesday said the main opposition party will strongly take up the alleged deteriorating law and order issue, rising state debt and the drug menace in the House.

Targeting the Mann government over extortion and threat calls to several people from criminals, Kotli said, "Who is responsible for the collapsed law and order in the state? People are getting extortion, threat calls from criminals, businessmen are being killed."

The Adampur MLA also referred to the recent broad daylight murder incident of Abohar businessman Sanjay Verma, trying to assert the "deteriorating" law and order situation under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

Kotli said his party will take on the ruling party in the House over the issue of "rising" state debt.

He said the outstanding debt of Punjab has reached Rs 4 lakh crore. The way the government is borrowing, the debt will reach Rs 6 lakh crore when its term is over, he said.

"You are on the path of destroying Punjab," he alleged, while lashing out at the government for resorting to "heavy" borrowings.

Kotli further said they will also raise the issue of the drug menace in the state. He said before coming to power, AAP had claimed to end the scourge of drugs within four months.

It has "failed" to wipe out the drug menace, he said.

Kotli said the government has now come up with a universal health insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh per annum to all families in the state under the 'Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna'.

He asked the government to show from where it will bring money to fund the scheme. Under this scheme, all 65 lakh families in the state will be entitled to cashless health insurance of Rs 10 lakh at government as well as empanelled private hospitals.

Leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa held a meeting with the party MLAs on Wednesday on the eve of the two-day assembly session.

The Congress on Tuesday sought extension of the special session by two days to discuss the issues of "deteriorating" law and order and the land pooling scheme.

The opposition parties are expected to target the treasury benches over the issue of the state's land pooling scheme.

Bajwa dubbed the land pooling policy as the "biggest land scam in Punjab's post-Independence history".

He alleged that this scheme is a "deceptive" plan to grab over 40,000 acres of fertile agricultural land in Punjab under the pretence of urban development.

During the special session, the AAP government is expected to table the Punjab Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Punjab Amendment) Act 2025, which will pave the way for the restart of bullock cart races at Kila Raipur in Ludhiana.

On bringing a legislation for harsher punishment against the sacrilege acts, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday had said that a panel of legal experts were being consulted over framing it, asserting that such a legislation will be brought so that no person can dare to indulge in desecrating religious texts.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)