A remark by BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma referring to the birth of a girl child while accusing the Punjab Government of blaming the Centre for every issue triggered an uproar in the Vidhan Sabha, with treasury bench members terming it reflective of a discriminatory mindset. Sharma later clarified that his reference to a Punjabi proverb was taken out of context.The controversy erupted during zero hour after Mines and Geology Minister Narinder Kumar Goyal blamed the Centre for the state’s inability to maximise revenue from the mining sector. “Had the Union Government supported us, mining revenue would have touched Rs 20,000 crore as promised by Arvind Kejriwal,” Goyal said.Responding to the minister, Sharma remarked: “Your situation is such that if a girl child is born, the Centre is at fault, and if a boy is born, it is because of your hard work. You have turned everything into a platform for making political statements. You blame the Centre for every issue.”The remark drew strong objections from the treasury benches, with Cabinet Minister Aman Arora accusing the Pathankot MLA of displaying a discriminatory mindset.“Do you differentiate between a boy and a girl? It is a discriminatory mindset,” Arora said.Amid the row, Sharma submitted a detailed representation to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, urging him to take an impartial and fact-based view of the controversy surrounding his statement.In his letter, Sharma said despite clarifying his position on the floor of the House, the AAP Government had chosen to politicise the issue by announcing a condemnation motion against him. He urged the Speaker not to allow political considerations to overshadow the facts and sought a fair assessment of the matter.Sharma maintained that he had merely used a commonly known rural Punjabi proverb to counter what he described as a baseless allegation by the ruling party.He further pointed out that he had prefaced the proverb with the words “khima sahit” (with due apologies), making it clear that there was no intention to offend anyone.According to Sharma, his remarks were not aimed at hurting the sentiments of any individual, community or women, but were intended solely to illustrate his argument against the AAP’s alleged tendency to blame the Centre for every issue.He also reminded the Speaker that he had immediately stated on the floor of the House that if any member or section of society felt offended by his words, they could be expunged from the Assembly proceedings. Sharma said this demonstrated both his respect for the dignity of the House and his sensitivity towards public sentiment.