Capt Amarinder’s aide Khanna quits Assembly

Chandigarh, Arvind Khanna, Congress MLA from Dhuri yesterday resigned from the Punjab Assembly and active politics citing personal reasons.
“I have decided to go ahead with my resignation from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and active politics to devote my time to my family and business. I had decided to resign earlier in April last year, but had not gone ahead that time for some personal reasons. I have already conveyed my decision to the party and the leaders,” said Khanna, who is considered close to Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh.
Khanna’s exit provides an opportunity to the Akalis to establish independent majority (59 seats) in the Assembly. With the BJP, coalition partner in the state government, breathing down its neck on various issues in the recent past, the Akalis have been aiming at getting more MLAs through byelections.
Speaker Charanjit Atwal said Khanna e-mailed his resignation to his office followed by a phone call to him. “I will take a call on it tomorrow,” he said. The speaker had not accepted his resignation in May this year arguing an MLA had to resign in person before him. Sources said as Khanna had resigned from active politics as well, the speaker was likely to accept the resignation tomorrow. In the 117-member state Assembly, the BJP currently has 12 seats and after Khanna’s resignation the Congress has 43.
Former Congress MLAs Joginderpal Jain from Moga and Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu from Talwandi Sabo had joined the SAD in December 2012 and January 2015, respectively and re-won the segments taking the SAD to 58 seats, just one short of the majority. The Congress won the third byelection which was held in Patiala when Amarinder resigned after becoming the Amritsar MP.
Of the 3 independent MLAs, one Rajnish Kumar Babbi is siding with the Congress and the two others —Balwinder Bains and Simarjit Bains — have remained independent, but of late their proximity to the BJP has been growing. The byelection has to be conducted within six months of the acceptance of the resignation or death of an MLA. The Bajwa camp is seeing a conspiracy behind the resignation, especially because Khanna was considered a friend of the SAD president.