Punjab MLA Dazzles NRIs,

Los Angeles, Jan 08, 2009
Baljeet Sahi

Mission Hills, CA – A visiting Congress Party member of the Punjab's Legislative Assembly from Halqa Quila Raipur, Jassi Khangura, addressed Southern California's non-resident Indians ....Read

Dinner Reception in honor of NRI Jassi Khangura
(Honorable MLA Qila Raipur, Punjab)

• BADAL DOES NOT CARE FOR NRIs BECAUSE MOST DO NOT HAVE A VOTE IN PUNJAB...Jassi Khangura

Los Angeles, Jan 05, 2009
Swaran Dabgotra/Parladh Grewal

Sunday January 4, 2009, Punjabi community of Southern California welcomed and honored Mr. Jassi Khangura, MLA of Qila Raipur, Punjab, India.

Businessmen & entrepreneurs at Gary Grewal's home before the function

The program was organized by some of the community leader Mr. Gary Grewal, Mr. Rattan singh Joea, Mr. Jagdish Khangura and Mr. Mani Sidhu in Northridge, California. Well known personalities of California in the gathering were Paul Sahota, Congress leader and businessman from Fresno, Atma Singh Grewal who hails from Qila Raipur village, Ranjit Grewal and Mukhtiar Kamboj, Chairman Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles.

The hall was very professionally decorated. It was jam packed with about 500 Punjabi community supporters. There were all kind of snacks and drinks before the program. Of coarse the dinner was served after the program.

The program started at 7.00 pm and the head table along with Honorable Mr. Jassi Khangura, there were dignitaries:

• Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah, the pillar of the Punjabi community in Southern California
• Harry Sidhu - City Council, Anaheim , California
• Mr. Gunwant S. Grewal, an ex- Member of Parliment from Vancouver, BC, Canada,
• Mr. Lahori Ram, a self-made man, millionaire and Economic Development Commissioner for the State of California
• Mr. Bhupinder Sidhu, entrepreneur, Toronto, Ont., Canada.

All these individuals admired Mr. Khangura's vision for the people of Punjab and his accomplishments.

Mr. Lahori Ram said, after meeting Jassi's father in 2007 and by knowing more about Jassi's qualification, honesty and integrity, he decided to help him during his election campaign. He spent about 5 weeks in his constituency to meet and motivate people of the region to vote for him. Mr. Khangura won with a landslide victory as a congressman. In that area since the parathion of India only Akali party had been ruling. He made history with a victory. He said that Mr. Khangura donated computers to 58 schools, so that the students can expand their knowledge and vision around the world.

He added that a college Narangwal, was about to close due to lack of funds. Mr Khangura injected enough capital from his own pocket so that the education must go. He also scheduled more vocational courses. And today there are about 4000 student who are benefited with his help. He also repaired and paved new roads in that region. He also launched a Macro Dairy to help, which will create a lots of jobs for the needy, uplift the underprivileged and the farmers. In closing he said that he is confidant that person who is dedicated to sever and help the needy will rise and soon will occupy the chair of Chief Minster of Punjab. He requested all the NRI's present please help and support him in any way you can. He also said that if more NRI's go back there in politics, they will be able change the system and eliminate corruption.

Mr. Gunwant S. Grewal and ex-MP from Vancouver, BC, Canada spoke and admired Mr. Khangura's leadership, accomplishments and future plans. He said this man is definitely going to bring a change in Punjab.

Mr. Parladh Singh Grewal an engineer and a resident of Southern California said that recently he visited Punjab and has witnessed what ever Mr. Lahori Ram said. He told the audience that Mr. Khangura was only 2 year old when he moved to England along with his parents. He grew up there and graduated in medicine from Oxford University. He was a medical practitioner and established businessman. He surrendered his British citizenship there and moved back to India at the age of 42 to serve the people of Punjab and help solve problems of NRI's. He helped to renovate the access roads to villages and installed submersible pumps in the villages. He added that NRI's are facing critical problems. Economic, social political challenges of NRI"s are unprecedented. Our challenges are so serious that it will take a new generation of leaders like Jassi Khangura, a new way of thinking which Jassi has and a bold new modern approach, advocated by Jassi, to problem solving to steer us through these circumstances. We, all the NRI's need to be his ambassadors to convey and spread his manifesto to the people of Punjab so that he should be reelected and reach & accomplish his goals.

Jassi was personally introduced to the gathering by Parlad Singh Grewal who hails from Narangwal village, which is in Qila Raipur Constituency and from where hailed Justice Gurnam Singh, former CM Punjab.

In his address Jassi Khangura included:

• We cannot waste 3 years waiting for the next Punjab government to address NRI concerns. We must lobby now for change.
• The Justice for NRIs campaign is not for the short-term. It will continue until there is effective resolution of the issues in Punjab has hurt NRIs the most.
• CM Punjab might have started his 4th term with sincere intentions towards NRIs, but his failure to honour the commitments to NRIs made at the Government samellan in Jalandhar last January and the failure of Sukbir Badal, Bikram Majitha and the CM himself to attend the Punjanb NRI Sabha function at Jalandhar, are all clear indications that neither he nor his government really care for NRIs today. Whilst the NRI invariably does not have a vote in Punjab, the local party does. Siding with the NRI will result in loss of local votes, something that Mr P S Badal dare not risk in a faltering government that is soon to face the wrath of the public in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections.

Jassi reinforced that he will not relent until Justice for NRIs is delivered.

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