Core comm led by Sukhbir S Badal decides to launch an aggressive campaign to secure rights of Punjab if CM does not withdraw his statement)
(Says Home minister Amit Shah does not have authority to allot land in Chandigarh to Haryana)
(Also decides to hold protest at Jantar Mantar on July 19 and Kejriwal residence on July 20)
(Opposes ban on SYL and Rihai songs, announces protest tractor march by YAD on July 15 demanding revocation of the bans)
Chandigarh, (Gurpreet) – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) gave an ultimatum to chief minister Bhagwant Mann to withdraw his statement surrendering Punjab’s rights on Chandigarh and apologize for the same failing which it would approach all political parties in the State to launch an aggressive campaign to secure the rights of Punjab.
Terming the decision to allot land in Chandigarh to Haryana to build a separate Vidhan Sabha as illegal, the committee noted that union minister Amit Shah did not have any authority to make this allotment without consulting all the stakeholders.
Decisions to this effect were taken at a meeting of the party’s core committee presided over by president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The committee said the manner in which the chief minister had recently tried to brazen it out when asked why he had taken an anti-Punjab stance indicated that he was acting on the instructions of AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal who was ready to sacrifice the interests of Punjab to strengthen the party in Haryana. It demanded the chief minister explain his stand on all issues of Punjab including the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), implementation of central pay scale for UT employees and attempt to convert Panjab University into a central University by July 20. It said if this was not done, a three member committee comprising of Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra and Sikander Singh Maluka, who also attended the meeting, would approach all political parties to launch an aggressive campaign on this issue.
Meanwhile the core committee also decided to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on July 19 and at the residence of Delhi chief minister on July 20. It noted that the centre, Haryana chief minister M L Khattar and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann are acting in conjunction on this issue. It said the dharna in front of the Delhi chief minister’s residence would be held to protest Arvind Kejriwal’s refusal to sign Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s release orders since eight months.
Led by SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, the core committee also expressed grave concern at the manner in which freedom of speech and expression were being throttled by banning songs which solely expressed the sentiments of the people. The committee noted that there was nothing objectionable in either the SYL song sung by the late Sidhu Moosewala or the Rihai song sung by Kanwar Grewal which had been banned by the centre. It decided that as an act of solidarity with both the singers and the ideas they espoused Youth Akali Dal (YAD) workers would take out tractor marches to all district headquarters blaring both songs as a sign of protest against this censorship.