Chandigarh, Aug 6 (PTI) Punjab cabinet ministers Thursday demanded immediate expulsion of Rajya Sabha MPs Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo from the Congress for their criticism of the state government over the recent hooch tragedy.

In a press statement, the ministers described the MPs' acts as “gross indiscipline” and said they have rendered themselves “useless” and of “no value” to the party.

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However, the two MPs remained defiant and issued a joint statement in response, saying not criticising the government even if it is working “against” the interest of the public is “against the principles of democracy”.

“The contents of the press note released by the Government of Punjab today are an afterthought, added in 24 hours after the meeting had taken place,” they claimed.

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The cabinet meeting had taken place on Wednesday.

The Punjab cabinet ministers in their statement said the two MPs need to be shunted out without any delay.

The demand for action against the two Rajya Sabha members came two days after Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said he would write to party president Sonia Gandhi to seek “strict action” against their “brazen indiscipline”.

Bajwa and Dullo had targeted their own party's government over the liquor tragedy that claimed 113 lives recently.

They also petitioned Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore for a probe by the CBI as well as the Enforcement Directorate into the alleged "illegal" liquor trade.

The ministers in their statement said that by bypassing party and government forums to protest against the handling of the hooch tragedy and by approaching the Governor, the MPs have not only attacked the very basis of democratic governance but also sought to undermine the Punjab police.

“This is not the way democratic systems and institutions are meant to function,” the ministers said.

Indiscipline could not be tolerated at any time, least of all when assembly elections in the state are less than two years away, the ministers said.

Instead of doing their job as MPs, they seem intent on “destabilising” their own government, either out of their “own greed” for power or at the bidding of those who want to destabilise the Congress in Punjab, the ministers alleged.

The ministers said the two MPs had never “bothered” to raise any issue of the interest of the state they represent in Rajya Sabha.

“Why did they not press for the completion of the ED probe into the drugs issue during the Akali regime? Why did they not protest in the House against the anti-farm Ordinances of the Union Government? Why did they never speak about the CBI's failure to probe the sacrilege cases,” the ministers asked.

A CBI probe was needed only if the police failed to deliver, which was definitely not the case at present, they said.

The decision to recommend a CBI probe rests with the state government, and not with two MPs, the ministers said.

Instead of feeling even remotely apologetic, these MPs continue to be on the offensive, going so far as launching a personal attack on PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, they said.

“How can party MPs from a state go around openly criticising the chief of their own state unit,” they asked, adding that the Congress had a strong leadership in Punjab and did not need two “indisciplined” members denting the image.

Meanwhile, in their joint statement Bajwa and Dullo said, “If the performance of the party cannot be criticised even if the government is working against the interest of the public which has reposed faith in the party and elected them to power, then this is against the principles of democracy,” they said.

When Bajwa was PPCC chief current Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had been opposing and criticising not only the PPCC but also the party high command, they said.

“He even had the audacity to criticize Rahul Gandhi who is our esteemed leader,” they said.

Both claimed that they were “informed by cabinet colleagues of the chief minister that no discussion took place regarding the statement made by us” in the cabinet meeting.

(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)