On Thursday, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan canceled his directive calling for four government teachers to provide a “reason” for not “greeting” Aam Aadmi Party’s Jaitu MLA Amolak Singh at school. The Assembly Speaker called in the four teachers from Government Primary School Gondra, including head Harvinder Singh and three female teachers, to his office in Chandigarh for clarification following a complaint by the AAP MLA that they did not greet him during his school visit on September 17.
The teachers explained that they were simply fulfilling their duties and educating students in the classrooms during the MLA’s visit. Sandhwan asserted on Thursday that a letter issued by the assembly secretariat on October 18 was retracted on October 22.
Nevertheless, the directive given to the educators suggests a different outcome. Sandhwan held the assembly secretariat officials responsible for summoning the teachers. In his Thursday statement, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan emphasized that any breach of privilege should be reported to him before any action is taken. It is important to mention that Sandhwan oversees the Privileges Committee of the Punjab Assembly, which has a crucial role in investigating suspected breaches of privilege.
At the same time, the Punjab Assembly Secretariat has retracted letter number 541, which was issued on October 18, 2024, concerning the complaint about a breach of privilege. The letter was retracted on October 22, 2024. As per the Punjab Assembly Secretariat spokesperson, Jaito MLA Amolak Singh filed a complaint about a breach of privilege. Following the standard protocol, the Punjab Assembly Secretariat issued a correspondence to the educators of Government Primary School Godara, District Faridkot, requesting clarification on the issue.
However, Speaker Sandhwan scolded the officials at the Vidhan Sabha secretariat and demanded the swift retraction of the letter. He emphasized the importance of teachers as the foundation of society and the need to uphold their respect. On Wednesday, Sandhwan verified that he had called the teachers for explanation. He stated that MLA Amolak Singh had lodged a complaint, so he called the teachers to hear their perspective. I was unable to meet them in my office yesterday (Tuesday). I have now notified them that their meeting might be rescheduled if needed.