NRI CONGRESS PARTY-

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today blasted the Union Food processing Minister Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal for not taking any interest in the misery of the beleaguered farmers and on the contrary trying counter the pro-farmer voice vociferously being raised by Mr Rahul Gandhi.

He said that when the farmers were suffering from the hailstorm and rains, Modi was conveniently taking foreign jaunts and his Government was sleeping.

Harsimrat Badal had made a mockery of the misery of the farmers of Punjab by taking a imprudent stand in the Parliament, he said. Instead of waking up the Modi and Badal Government from the deep slumber, she was trying to gain political brownie points. Being food processing minister, what had she done for Punjab’s agri sector so far, he questioned.

Further lambasting the Union Minister, he said that Wheat, Potato, Sugarcane, Milk, Agro forestry all are in a mess and she is taking a pathetic and shameful stand in the Parliament and giving wrong data on wheat procurement on the floor of the house.

He asserted that Mr Gandhi’s visit to the mandis in Punjab had shaken the governments at the centre and in Punjab. However, the Punjab government was still to wake up from the deep slumber despite having received such a jolt.

He said the farmers in what used to be one of the most advanced states had been committing suicides and the agrarian crisis had been deepening. Harassed in the mandis, the farmers were on the agitational path. It was strange that rather than taking up the concerns of the people from her state, she was raking up the issues which had nothing to do with ending the misery of the farmers.

He asked her in case Mr Gandhi was on vacation when natural calamity struck the farmers, what had she and her government had done for them. He ridiculed her for her party shifting the stand overnight on the land legislation and said she was still to logically explain this shocking change within 24 hours.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today gave a call for Rail Roko on May 2 for one hour from 12.00 to 1.00 PM in protest against the open loot of the farmers in the mandis in the state for which the Parkash Singh Badal government was squarely responsible. He said this was the first phase of the Jan Andolan being launched by the party against anti-people policies of the Badal government.

The party demanded immediate lifting of the wheat and immediate release of payment to the farmers. The payment to farmers is being delayed causing immense harassment to the farmers. The party has demanded bonus on wheat at the rate of Rs 200 per quintal and compensation for the crops damaged due to persistent inclement weather. He also demanded that crop insurance should be implemented and Government should pay the premium for the insurance.

“I apologise to the rail commuters in advance for the inconvenience they might face due to this agitation but the issues were much bigger”, he added.

Mr Bajwa was all praise for the young and dynamic vice-president Rahul Gandhi who, taking strong note of the continued harassment of the farmers in Punjab, visited Sirhind, Mandi Gobindgarh and Khanna mandis to extend total support to this section of society that constitutes the backbone of the country.

Mr Bajwa said farmers continued to be harassed in the mandis and the procurement was tardy. It was only after feeling the heat following sudden visit by Mr Gandhi that the state government late in the night released money to clear arrears of the farmers. However, the government was still to compensate them for the loss suffered by them due to natural calamity. He said the farmners were being kept in the dark about the actual price on which the crop was being procured and they were being told that it would be decided later. This amounted to cheating the farmers.

He said the farmers were being looted in the mandis by all those involved in the purchase of his produce in the name of poor quality. He alleged certain influential Akali leaders who were also in the food trade as commission agents had been forcing the farmers in league with the procurement agency officials to sell their produce at lower rates and pass on the same to the government at higher rate. He termed it as open exploitation.

He reminded Mr Badal that the situation had gone from bad to worse under his regime and the irony was that he had been projecting himself all these years as champion of the farmers. Mr Badal’s real face had now been thoroughly exposed in his fifth term as the chief minister.

Commenting upon Mr Badal’s courtesy call on the former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the PPCC said it was nothing but rank opportunism as it was the same Dr Manmohan Singh whose elevation as the prime minister he had refused to welcome. It was Dr Manmohan Singh who had been going out of the way to help Punjab but Mr Badal kept on berating him and alleging discrimination at the hands of discrimination. He said it was only now under his own government at the centre led by Mr Narendra Modi that he had understood the real meaning of discrimination. However, the problem was that the Badal family had always worked for personal gains and never in the interest of the state, he added.

Bajwa attributes Dhuri defeat to use of money and official machinery by Akalis

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the Dhuri Assembly bye-election was an example of blatant and unashamed use of money, muscle power and misuse of official machinery by the ruling Akali Dal, the tactics that the party resorted to in the Talwandi Sabo bye-election also.

“For just one Assembly bye-election, the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal, the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, the entire team of Akali ministers and MLAs camped in the constituency for several days thereby creating fear psychosis. The Akali activists from all over the state has descended on Dhuri. Added to it was the money power and the naked misuse of official machinery”, he added.

Mr Bajwa maintained that the Akali Dal resorted to such underhand means to confront the strong anti-incumbency. Mr Badal has started his election campaign by distributing money in the villages under his sangat darshan programmes within no time of the seat having been declared vacant and by the time the bye-election was announced, he had covered the entire constituency. He said this was the constituency he had never visited before ever since he had started his fifth term as the Chief Minister.

He said the outcome of the election was dictated by the factors that were not subjective.

Congress launched Grand Celebrations of 125th Anniversary of Baba Sahib at National & State Level: - Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal

SC Deptt. Punjab Pardesh Congress Chairman Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal today informed the media that National celebration committee headed by AICC president Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Co-chaired by party vice president Sh. Rahul Gandhi Ji has been formed to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Baba Sahib Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Ji at a grand scale. This celebrations started today at Congress Bhawan Chandigarh 14th April and will continue till 14th April 2016 at Nagpur. On this occasion prominent leaders from SC Deptt. Of various districts and PPCC from all across the state joined Dr. Raj Kumar in Baba Sahib’s Jayanti Celebrations.

Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal told that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar the architect of our nation was a liberal and democrat to the core in thought and action. He worked along with Jawahar Lal Nehru, Patel, Maulana Azad, Rajindera Parsad and many other congress leaders to give shape to our constitution that promotes democratic values of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity and that is anchored in secularizations and social justice.

Dr. Raj Kumar told that formal Celebrations have been started in Punjab Pradesh Congress Bhawan today in Chandigarh and similarly at national, District and block levels this very day.

The celebration seeks to revisit the life of Baba Sahib and reassert his relevance said Chairman Dr. Raj. He also told about a major event being planned at his birth place Mhow in Madhya Pradesh where both Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji will be present. National celebration committee will chalk out the plan and execute the yearly celebrations at AICC and PCC level ending on 14th April 2016 at Nagpur.

Asked about the stand of BJP on great Baba Sahib, Dr. Raj told that it has been always dubious as Jan-Sangh which is a major partner of BJP, has always opposed Baba Sahib’s ideologies and it was opposition of “HINDU CODE BILL” by Jan-Sangh who led to resignation of Dr. Ambedkar from law ministry. BJP always keeps on praising Baba Sahib but never discusses his ideologies. So they always take a opportunistic stand on Baba Sahib.

Dr. Raj told that lot of people in india are not aware of the contribution of great Dr. B.R.Ambedkar who did his P.hd. in economics from Columbia University and wrote so many usefull books. Origin of “Reserve Bank of India” came from Baba Sahib ideas. Apart from being the writer of constitution of india, he fought for empowerment of women and always worked and campaigned against social discrimination of dalits and war responsible for the policy of reservation.

Among the prominent people present today were co-chairman Jang Bahadar, Ms. Rajinder Kaur Meemsa, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Parminder Singh, Choudhary Ravinder K Rosy, Mohan Singh Bhasin, Pawan Kumar Adia Gen. Secy. PPCC, Rajesh Kumar Rinku and Ms. Paramjit Kaur.

The leaders of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee today questioned the reprehensible and malicious intention of the former chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh to demolish Mr Rahul Gandhi at a very crucial juncture when he was to launch his massive drive to mobilise the masses against anti-people policies of the Narendra Modi government with a massive rally of the farmers in Delhi on April 19 arguing that he was inexperienced.

“Rather than launching a tirade against Mr Bajwa which is part of the campaign of Capt Amarinder Singh under whose leadership the party has been facing humiliating defeats one after another to recapture the centre stage in the state by hook or by crook, his supporters should have rather come out with their plans to make the April 19 rally a huge success. It is now amply clear that Capt Amarinder Singh is not only targeting Mr Gandhi who was a hurdle in his objective but also to sabotage the rally. In case Capt. Amarinder Singh had any reservations about Mr Rahul Gandhi being given the responsibility and had his intentions been sincere, he should have taken up the issue at the party forum and with Shrimati Sonia Gandhi rather than giving vent to his feelings from a public platform”, the party leaders said.

They included Ravneet Singh Bittu Member Parliament, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Surinder Dawar, Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, Ajitinder Singh Mofar MLAs, Surinder Pal Singh Sibia Ex-MLA, Joginder Singh Mann Ex-Minister, Jasbir Singh Dimpa Ex-MLA, Rajanbir Singh Genral Secretary PPCC, Gurpartap Singh Mann, Rajinder Deepa, Prof. Gurwinder Singh Mamanke, Paramjit Singh Randhawa Secretaries PPCC, Inderpal Singh Dhanna, Chairman Legal Deptt. PPCC Amajad Khan Chairman, Minority Cell PPCC, Gurpreet Singh, President, Ludhiana (Urban), Anil Vij, District President, Pathankot, Harbagh Singh (Ropar), Paramjit Singh Mann (Barnala), Rajiv Bhagat (Amritsar Urban), Mai Roop Kaur, Sangrur, Gura Singh Tungwali (Bathinda Rural), Bikram Singh Mofar (Mansa), Dharam Pal (Nawan Shahar), Mohan Lal Jhumba (Bathinda Urban) and several others.

They said Capt Amarinder Singh had even gone to the extent of saying that the leaders like him might have to consider other options in case Mr Gandhi took over which amounted to open revolt.

They demanded that Capt. Amarinder Singh must be shown the door as none would agree to his contention that he was not opposing Mr Gandhi but was against the timing of his take over which was just a lame excuse.

The overwhelming response to the massive road show staged by the Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa in Dhuri, while sending shock waves in the Akali camp, pave the way assured victory of the party candidate Mr Simar Partap Singh Barnala.

He was accompanied by, besides the candidate, also by Mr Gaganjit Singh Barnala who had represented this constituency at one time. The Congress candidate is the grandson of the former chief minister Mr Surjit Singh Barnala. Others senior leaders who were present included Sh. Brahm Mohindera MLA, Sh. Surinder Kumar Dawar MLA, Smt Charanjit Kaur Bajwa MLA, S AjitInder Singh Mofar MLA, Sh. Bharat Bhushan Ashu MLA, Sh Vijayinder Singla Ex MP, S Surinder Pal Sibia Ex MLA, Gurbinder Singh Atwal Ex MLA, Hansraj Josan Ex MLA, Gurchet Bhullar Ex MLA, Kanwaljit Singh Lally Ex MLA, Joginder Singh Mann Ex Minister , Jasbir Singh Gill Dimpa General Secretary PPCC, Major Singh Bhaini General Secretary PPCC, Gurkanwal Kaur Ex Minister, Tej Parkash Ex MLA, Pawan Adia General Secretary PPCC, Baldev Singh Mann Ex Minsiter, Harminder Jassi Ex MLA, S Darshan Singh Brar Ex MLA President DCC Moga, Lakhvir Singh Lakha DCC President Khanna, Gurpreet Bassi Goggi President Ludhiana Urban, Rajinder Berry President President Jalandhar Urban, Mohal Lal Jhumba President DCC Bathinda Urban, Gura Singh Tungwali President DCC Bathinda Rural, Paramjit Singh Mann President DCC Barnala, Harbhag Singh Saini President DCC Ropar, Dharampal Bangar DCC President Nawanshahr, Anil Vijj President DCC Pathankot, Rajeev Bhagat President DCC Amritsar Urban, Bikram Mofar President DCC Mansa, Harinder Bhambari President DCC Fatehgarh Sahib, Chamkaur Singh President DCC Ferozepur, Sukhpal Singh Bhullar President DCC Tarn Taran, Gurmeet Singh Khudian President DCC Muktsar, S Jujhar Singh Husband of Mai Roop Kaur Bagrian President DCC Sangrur, Bhai Narpat Singh Bagrian Son of Mai Roop Kaur Bagrian President DCC Sangrur, InderPal Singh Dhanna Chairman Legal Cell, Amjad Khan Chairman Minority Department, Kanwar Harpreet Chairman Jan Kalyan & Prachar Cell, Daaman Bajwa President NSUI, Jatinder Singh Bedi Chairman Beopar Cell, Harinder Chauhan Vice President Sports & Cultural Cell PPCC, Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal Chairman SC Department, Kittu Grewal President Punjab Mahila Congress, Jagtar Singh Burj Chairman Panchayti Raj Rural Development Cell PPCC, Navdeep Singh Mokha Chairman Sports & Cultural Cell PPCC, Paramjit Singh Rannu President Shejdari Sikh Front, Bhupinder Singh Gora Secretary PPCC, Birender Singh Chottepur Secretary PPCC, Rajinder Deepa Secretary PPCC, Gurwinder Mammanke Secretary PPCC, Bunny Sandhu Secretary PPCC, , Paramjit Singh Randhawa Secretary PPCC, Vinay Mahajan Secretary PPCC, Sandeep Bal Secretary PPCC, Gurmeet Pahra Secretary PPCC, Balwinder Bhinda Secretary PPCC, Balwinder Singh Laddi Secretary PPCC, Manjeet Mann Secretary PPCC, Anil Dutta Secretary PPCC, Dalbir Singh Goldy NSUI leader, Rajinder Singh Secretary PPCC S/o S. Laal Singh, Rana Rajinder Pal Randhawa Secretary PPCC, Dr. Manjit Singh Saroya Secretary PPCC, Jaswant Singh Pahparke Bhaike Ex Deputy Speaker, Raj Lambardar Secretary PPCC, Pawan Mani Secretary PPCC, , Bhupinder Singh Khaspur Secretary PPCC, Gurminder Singh Rataul Secretary PPCC, Parveen Sultana, Bhupinder Malout Secretary PPCC, Dhanjit Singh Dhanni Secretary PPCC, Gurnaib Singh Brar Former President DCC Ferozepur, Jaspinder Jakhar Former General Secretary PPCC, Rashpal Singh Jormajara Former Secretary PPCC, Narinder Pal Lalli Former Secretary PPCC, Gursant Singh Brar Ex President DCC Muktsar, Mohanjit Singh Sidhu Brother in law of Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Pushpinder Sharma Fromer Secretary PPCC, Sushil Malhotra Former Secretary PPCC

As thousands of enthusiastic supporters joined the road show, virtually the entire town turned up to welcome the state Congress chief who has been camping in the constituency from the day the campaigning started. The road show criss crossed the main bazaar of Dhuri town, streets and the mandis, where every section of people greeted Mr Partap Singh Bajwa and assured him a thumping victory on the day of the result.

“Every section of society is fed up with the mafia rule of the Akalis. Both trade and industry in the cities have been hit due to the policies of the Akali Dal led government. The Akali Dal chief Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal want to win this seat by hook or by crook as his party then would not be dependent upon the BJP. He wants to junk the alliance partner after getting majority. However, the people have resolved to frustrate all such designs of his”, Bajwa said.

He said the issues were simple as being the Congress seat, Dhuri had remained neglected in the matter of development and the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal, embarked upon his sangat darshan programme only after the Congress MLA Mr Arvind Khanna resigned his seat due to personal reasons and started announcing development grants in the villages. Even during his election speeches, he had been referring to the grants given for development. At the same time, he was going around saying that the people should elect the Akali Dal candidate Mr Gobind Singh Longowal for better development. He said this was nothing but blackmail as he should behave as the chief minister of entire state and not just of the Akali Dal.

He called upon the people not to be misled by such promises of Mr Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and go by their track record. He reminded the people that in the last Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections, the father-son duo had been promising everything under the sun to the people and showing the mirage that truck-loads of money would star reaching Punjab after the change of government in Delhi. He said here was the government that had been ditched by the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, on every issue. It was the UPA government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh that had never denied anything to Punjab.

Mr Bajwa said here was a chance with the people to teach a lesson to the Akali Dal whose leaders had always been selling dreams while the situation in the state had been going from bad to worse.

He also made it clear that the Congress would not allow any goondaism by the Akali goons on the polling day.

The Punjab Congress chief Mr Partap Singh Bajwa said that the prerogative to take any action against the former MLA Mr Arvind Khanna vested in the party high command as he was a member of the AICC.

He clarified that it was due to some communication gap that he got the impression that Mr Khanna had been expelled from the party for six years. He said he had no hesitation in putting the record straight as no action had so far been taken against him.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Ludhiana MP Mr Ravneet Singh Bittu along with several other leaders and hundreds of party activists were detained by the Chandigarh police as thousands of Congressmen from the state staged massive protest against the dilution of the land Acquisition Act by the Narendra Modi government at the centre.

Those who led the protest included the AICC General Secretary Mr Shakeel Ahmed, the Secretary Mr Harish Chaudhary along with Mr Bajwa, the Congress Legislature Party leader Mr Sunil Jakhar, Mrs the All India Mahila Congress chief Ms Neta D’ Souza and the All India Youth Congress chief Mr Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.

As the protesters moved towards the state Assembly to gherao it on the last day of the budget session, they were stopped at the barrier put up by the police. The Congressmen tried to force their way through the barricades. The police resorted to mild lathicharge and used water cannon to disperse them.

In the process the police rounded up several leaders including Mr Bajwa, Mr Bittu, Ms D’Souza, the Punjab Mahila Congress President Mrs Kittu Grewal, Mr Bharat Bhushan Ashu,MLA, the PPCC General Secretary Mr Fateh Bajwa and the Secretary Mr Gurpartap Singh Mann. They were released later.

Those present included Ch. Santokh Singh MP, S. Ravneet Singh Bittu MP, Smt. Santosh Chaudhary Ex MP, Sh. Vijay Inder Singla Ex MP, S. Bhupinder Singh Mann Ex MP & National President Bharatiya Kisan Union

S. Kuljit Singh Nagra Secretary AICC, Smt. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal , S. Laal Singh, Smt. Preneet Kaur, Sh. Brahm Mohindra, Sh. Tarlochan Singh, Sh. O. P. Soni, Smt. Aruna Chaudhary, Smt. Charanjeet Kaur Bajwa, S. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana Gurjit Singh, S. Navtej Singh Cheema, S. Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sh. Sunder Sham Arora, Mrs.Guriqbal Kaur, S. Charanjit Singh Channi, S. Jagmohan Singh Kang, S. Balbir Singh Sidhu, S. Randeep Singh Nabha, S. Gurkirat Singh Kotli, S. Amrik Singh Dhillon, Sh. Surinder Kumar Dawar, Sh. Bharat BhushanAshu, RanaGurmeet Singh Sodhi, Smt. Karan KaurBrar, S. Joginder Singh Panjgrain, S. Kewal Singh Dhillon, Smt. Harchand Kaur, , S. Hardayal Singh Kamboj, , Rajnish Kumar all MLAs

Ex MLAs - Sh. Gurchet Singh Bhullar, Sh. Romesh Dutt Sharma, Ch. Ram Lubhaya, Bhai Kuku (Harnirpal Singh), S. Joginder Singh Mann, S. Kanwaljit Singh Lalli

Vice Presidents PPCC - Sh. Surinder Pal Singh Sibia, Sh. Sardul Singh Bandala and General Secretaries Sh. Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa, Sh. Harpartap Singh Ajnala, Sh. Vikram Singh Bajwa, Sh. Jasbir Singh Gill Dimpa, Mrs. Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha, Sh. Harminder Singh Gill, Sh. Yoginder Dhingra, Major Singh Bhaini, SH. Satnam Singh Kainth, Sh. Hans Raj Josan, Sh. Dhanna Ram Bhatti,

Secretaries - Prof. Gurwinder Singh Mamanke, Sh. Paramjit Singh Randhawa, Sh. Inder Pal Singh Dhanna, Sh. Gurmit Singh Pahra, Sh. Gurpartap Singh Mann, Sh. Baldish Singh Toor, Smt. Jagdarshan Kaur, Sh. Anil Dutta, Sh. Swaraj Dhillon, Sh. Harnek Singh Diwana Advocate, Sh. Bhupinder Malout, Sh. Rajinder Pal Singh Randhawa, Sh. Tarsem Masih, Sh. Jasbir Singh Pal, Sh. Satnam Singh Bitta, Sh. Bhupinder Singh Gora, Sh. Tehal Singh Sandhu, Sh. Rajinder Deepa, Sh. Dhanjit Singh ‘Dhani Virk’, Sh. Kamaljit Singh Ohri, Sh. Jatinder Pal Singh Dhera, Sh. Balwinder Singh Bhinda, Sh. Kulwant Rai Singla, Sh. Manjit Singh Mann

Congress Leaders - Balvir Raja Sodhi, Satkar Kaur, Sh. Giri Raj Rajoura, Sh. Balvinder Singh Laddi, Smt. Harbans Kaur Dullo, Sh. Aman Arora, Sh. Arun Dogra

Executive Members - Surinder Kaur Balian, Sh. Neeraj Salhotra, Sh. Barinder Singh Chhotepur, Sh. Ram Lal Mall, Sh. Surinder Gupta, Sh. Ishwar Jot Singh Cheema, Sh. Rajpal Singh, Sh. Atul Nagpal, Sh. Manpreet Singh Sandhu (Bunny), SH. Parveen Kumar Bhadoo, Smt. Nimisha Mehta

District Presidents Sh. Rajiv Bhagat (Advocate) President, DCC (Amritsar Urban) , Sh. Anil Vij President, DCC (Patahankot), Sh Dharampal Bangar President, DCC (Nawanashahar), Sh. Malkiat Singh Dakha President, DCC (Ludhiana Rural), Sh. Gurpreet Bassi Gogi President, DCC (Ludhiana Urban) Sh. Bikram Mofar President, DCC (Mansa), Sh. Mohan Lal Aggarwal President, DCC (Bathinda Urban), Sh. Gura Singh Tungwali President, DCC (Bathinda Rural), Sh. Sukhpal Singh Bhullar President, DCC (Tarn Taran) , Sh. Gurmeet Singh Khudian President, DCC (Muktsar) , Sh. Koshal Kumar President, DCC (Fazilka), Sh. Harbhag Singh Saini President, DCC (Ropar) , S. Darshan Singh Brar President DCC Moga, Sh.Chamkaur Singh President, DCC (Ferozepur) , Sh. Rajinder Berry President, DCC (Jalandhar Urban), S. Harinder Singh Bhambri President, DCC (Fatehgarh Sahib)

The Congress candidate from Dhuri Mr Simar Partap Singh Barnala today accused the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal of sabotaging the initiative taken by his grandfather Mr Surjit Singh Barnala to restore peace in the troubled state and it was because of this that thousands of lives were lost.

Launching a scathing attack on Mr Badal, he said, “It were you Mr Badal who opposed the signing of the Punjab Accord between the then Prime Minister Mr Rajiv Gandhi and Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, that was the first such agreement of its kind ever inked in the country and the same was ratified by the Parliament. You stayed back to sabotage it as you had not been involved in it. It was my grandfather along with Sant Longowal who was one of the main architects of the Accord and took all the risks for the sake of Punjab. Sant Longowal sacrificed his life in the process”.

He asserted that later, Mr Badal resorted to his usual politics of opportunism and ratified the accord to get Assembly ticket from Mr Barnala who was the party chief after the assassination of Sant Longowal. In case he was convinced that the Accord was not in the interest of Punjab which was his stand at the time of its signing, he would not have later signed on the dotted line to get the party ticket.

He recalled later it was Mr Badal who led the revolt against Mr Barnala that led to split in the Akali Dal Legislature Party. Mr Barnala’s only fault as the Chief Minister was that he was determined to confront the secessionist forces which had raised their ugly head in the state at that time. He said it was Mr Badal who had always stabbed Punjab in the back as his entire politics had been dictated by his vested political interests. His only problem for instigating rebellion against Mr Barnala was that Mr Badal had not been accommodated in the cabinet despite making every effort.

He said Mr Badal also owe an explanation to the people as to why he kept himself away for nine years from the death anniversary function of Sant Longowal who sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of the country and this has been admitted by the Akali Dal later in writing. It was his lust for power that forced him to start attending the anniversary functions of Sant Longowal who commanded a huge following in his native land.

He described Mr Badal as the most cunning politician in the history of the Akali Dal who was not committed to any cause and had been shifting his ideological stand depending upon the situation and his personal interests. Mr Badal had now been thoroughly exposed especially after the coming into power of the NDA government at the centre with Mr Narendra Modi as the government. He said it was only now he had realised the meaning of discrimination by the centre but he was no more in a position to say a single word against it as then the future of his daughter-in-law and the Union Food Processing Minister Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal would be at stake.

Bajwa writes to PM for transferring investigations by ED out of state and hand over drug racket case to CBI or sitting judge of Supreme Court.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today attacked the Narendra Modi government at the centre and the Parkash Singh Badal government in the state for conspiring to hush up the investigations against the Revenue Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia and other Akali leaders by transferring the Enforcement Directorate Assistant Director and investigating officer Mr Niranjan Singh to Kalkota when the probe was mid-way.

“This is a criminal conspiracy to hush up this narco-terrorism racket by the ruling powers as Mr Majithia is among the most powerful leaders being the brother-in-law of the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of the Union Food Processing Minister Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The Enforcement Directorate is under the Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley. On the one hand, the Modi government claims transparency in governance but the practice is diametrically opposite as the transfer in the Enforcement Directorate at this critical juncture is part of the cover up operation to save Mr Majithia”, he added.

The PPCC chief said this conspiracy had been further corroborated with the ED officials in the region approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the harassment by the Punjab police for the last several days which again was an effort to put pressure on them to change the course of investigation.

Mr Bajwa said going by these serious developments, it was imperative to order a CBI inquiry into this racket as at stake was the future of Punjab with which both the Akali Dal as well as the BJP were playing. He said that ED’s investigation should be transferred out of state so that the officers are able to carry out their probe without intimidation of the Punjab Police.

He pointed out that only this week, Mr Niranjan Singh had done custodial interrogation of Bittu Aulakh, one of accused in the drug racket case in which the name of Mr Majthia had surfaced. His name had been taken by former cop turned drug lord Jagdish Bhola. It was Mr Niranjan Singh who had summoned Mr Majithia for questioning. He said it appeared that during questioning of Bittu Aulakh, the ED officer had got some more evidence against the powerful minister and this could be the main reason for his transfer before the probe was completed.

He said such a turn in the investigation was expected in view of the alliance of the Akali Dal with the BJP and the sister of Mr Majithia who is under investigation being a Union minister.

He said the BJP had been shedding crocodile tears on the issue of drug smuggling in Punjab which in effect was part of narco-terrorism. He said the hushing of this case would have serious repercussions in the long run.

He warned that Congress would expose this criminal conspiracy involving the BJP and the Akali Dal at every level.

He said the BJP was scared that the exposure of the racket in Punjab at this stage might have a direct bearing on the Delhi Assembly election to be held next month.

S. Partap Singh Bajwa wrote a letter to Sh. Narendra Modi seeking transfer of EDs investigation out of Punjab. He also demanded that the probe in drug racket should be handed over to CBI or sitting Judge of Supreme court for time bound investigations, as the role of Punjab Police has been exposed after the ED officials approached High Court and complained of intimidation by Punjab Police.

Chandigarh, January 16: The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today criticised of the Narendra Modi government to hike excise duty on diesel and petrol by Rs 2 per litre. He said with the falling crude prices in the international market, the people were expecting relief but in this case, the BJP government had neutralised that relief by levying this duty.

He attacked the hike as unjustified and without any rationale that betrayed the anti-people attitude of this government. He called upon Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to come out with his reaction of the government in which his party was the partner.

The Punjab Congress today staged dharnas at the district headquarters demanding dismissal of the Akali Dal-BJP government on the issue of involvement of the ministers in the multi-crore drug racket proliferating in the state. These dharnas evoked overwhelming response.

The district units submitted memorandums to the respective deputy commissioners to this effect while also demanding CBI inquiry into the drug smuggling and the involvement of the Akali ministers.

The party directly blamed the Akali Dal for the drug menace which had spread like a viral after coming into power of this government.

The state party chief Mr Partap Singh Bajwa thanked the party activists and the rank and file for making the dharnas a success. He pointed out that it was the Congress which had started the campaign against drugs when it came out which chain dharnas in Chandigarh. He slammed the BJP for shedding crocodile tears and said the saffron party was only eyeing the vote bank. In case the BJP had been sincere on the drug issue, it would have come out of the government by now. He said this was not a political issue but concerned the very future of the state.

He made it clear that the Congress would continue to take it up as the main issue.

- BJP anti-drug campaign only motivated by political preparation for next elections; will break this alliance immediately after Delhi elections: Bajwa

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today slammed the so called anti-drug campaign to be launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party President Mr Amit Shah from Amritsar later this month as totally politically motivated to pave the way for parting company with the Akali Dal immediately after the Delhi Assembly elections.

He said it was the timing of the campaign that was strategic as the same coincided with the Assembly elections in Delhi likely to be held in February. The party had been part and parcel of the Parkash Singh Badal government in Punjab during All these years when the drug menace reached alarming proportions. The party never raised its voice, even after the name of the Revenue Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia cropped up initially. He said it was only now when the Enforcement Directorate started investigation against Mr Majithia that the party raised the chorus for his resignation.

The PPCC chief said it was a strange alliance as the BJP continued to attack the Akali Dal with its leaders issuing statements every day demanding the resignation of Mr Majithia but the party did not support the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress in the Assembly recently on this very issue. However, within no time of the motion having fell, the BJP raised the demand again but outside the Assembly. He said such a situation was unprecedented.

He questioned the sincerity of the BJP and asked as to why the BJP had been silent all along. He pointed out it was the Congress which was the first to launch the anti-drug campaign. However, Mr Badal counter-attacked saying it was the Congress conspiracy to portray the Punjabis as the druggists. He called upon Mr Badal to explain whether he perceived the campaign to be launched by the BJP as another conspiracy to malign the Punjabis. He asserted it was the Congress vice-president Mr Rahul Gandhi who was the first to raise concern about this serious issue.

Mr Bajwa also challenged the claims of the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal about the highest number of arrests of the drug peddlers having been made by the state government as compared to other states. He said the police had only nabbed the addicts. The police had failed to arrest those who were involved in the drug trade or their patrons, political or otherwise. He said earlier, the Badals had refused to accept the fact of the alarming proportions the drug menace had assumed and now a misleading campaign had been launched about the maximum arrests. He said this was contradictory.

He made it clear that the Congress would continue its agitation against the drug barons demanding CBI inquiry and the dismissal of the Badal government.

He appealed to the people to participate in large numbers in the dharnas being staged by the Congress at the district headquarters tomorrow to demand the dismissal of the Badal government on the drugs issue.

In a statement issued here today, S. Partap Singh Bajwa, President PPCC asked Sh. Narendra Modi to drop Mrs Harsimrat Badal from the Cabinet immediately. Bajwa reminded Modi that S. Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is husband of Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal, is issuing secessionist statements and instigating people to protest against BSF at the border. He called upon Congressmen to prepare for Vidhan sabha polls which can happen any time.

Bajwa said "this action of Sukhbir Badal has caused a Constitutional Crisis because the BSF is under Union Home Minister and he is a State Home Minister. This crisis has brought Union and the State Government into direct conflict which requires immediate solution by dismissing Punjab Government and dropping Mrs Harsimrat Badal before 5th Januray 2014" .

He said that it is not at all justified to keep Mrs Badal in the cabinet keeping in view of the flaring situation caused by such anti national stand and statement by her husband who is Deputy CM cum Home Minister of Punjab. Mr Bajwa said that this seditious call of the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to people of Punjab to gather at the international border for dharna against BSF is intended to create to public disorder and incite violence.

He also suggested to Mr Modi that keeping in view the situation caused by the highly confrontationist stand of BJP and SAD in this border state, it is in the in the interest of National Security to with draw BJP from this alliance and go for a fresh mandate.

Looking at the facts and the fast changing political circumstances, he asked his party cadre to get prepared for Vidhan Sabha Polls in very near future. The current dynamics in the political scenario will attract imposition of Presidents rule and this unholy alliance of BJP and SAD will break any moment. He said that Congress will come to power as people of Punjab are fed up with the mis-governance, totally failed administrative machinery, totally collapsed law and order, high handedness of the Akali jathedars & halqa incharges of Badal Government. He predicted total rout of SAD and BJP due to anger among people of Punjab. He said that people will never forgive the SAD and BJP for spreading drugs like virus in Punjab which has virtually wiped out a generation.

In a statement issued here today, S. Partap Singh Bajwa, President PPCC said that the decision of the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to hold 4 dharnas on the sensitive international border with Pakistan, which are unprecedented and will lead to public disorder and incite violence at the already tense indo-pak border and hence is seditious in nature. While Amit Shah has announced to begin the BJP’s national anti drug campaign from Amritsar on 12th January, Sukhbir has announced a parallel dharna against the brave soldiers of the BSF guarding this sensitive and active border, which is therefore in effect a dharna against the BJP ruled central Government. Both BJP and SAD are indulging in confronting each other to take credit on the drugs issue at the cost of endangering the hard won peace in this border state.

After the aggressive campaign Indian National Congress, both parties have now realized the gravity of the drug epidemic and are just trying to out compete each other to score brownie points only, he said. Sukhbir’s action seems like Devil quoting scripitures

He demanded that Honorable President, being Commander in chief of armed forces, should immediately dismiss the SAD/BJP alliance Government Presidents rule under Article 356 of the Constitution must be imposed and Sukhbir Singh Badal must be charged under Section 124 A of the IPC for making seditious statements as the entire motive of this move was to excite violence, disturb law & order with a clear intention to divert the public’s attention from the complicity of Bikram Majitha and other Cabinet Ministers in the 6,000 crore drug scam.

In a hard hitting statement Mr Bajwa said this announcement by the Deputy Chief Minister is highly demoralizing for the Para military forces (BSF) and virtually accuses them of complicity. Such statements must be strongly deprecated and any attempt to malign the image of our armed forces or Para military forces must be seen as anti national.

PPCC President said “this is a deliberate attempt by Sukhbir Singh Badal to deflect the attention from the direct involvement of his own brother-in-law Bikramjit Singh Majithia and senior leaders of his Government in the multi crore synthetic drug racket wherein Bikram Majithia and other Senior Leaders are accused of aiding, abetting and facilitating the drug racket in India. Moreover Bikramjit Singh Majithia harboured international criminals in his official capacity as a Minister and provided them with patronage, security and support.”

Instead of questioning the integrity of our Para Military forces, Sukhbir Singh Badal should first and foremost sack his Brother-in-law Birkamjit Singh Majithia and should have charged him under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985 for abetment, criminal conspiracy and harboring international criminals he said.

A case under Section 124-A, of the Indian Penal Code for Sedition is squarely made out as this statement has been deliberately and intentionally made to create public disorder and excite violence along the international border at a time when the SAD-BJP Government has lost its legitimacy to continue in Government in Punjab.

Any attempt to demoralize our forces must be strongly opposed, and in view of such anti-national statements this Government must be immediately dismissed and Presidents rule under Article 356 of the Constitution must be imposed. Furthermore Sukhbir Singh Badal must be charged under Section 124 A of the IPC for making seditious statements with an intention to create public disturbance along our international border.

S. Bajwa said that both these alliance partners are strange bed fellows, who are fighting with each other, while choosing to remain together for sole intention of looting the people of Punjab. Both parties are two sides of the same coin and they are cursing each other by the day and sleep together in the same quilt at night. This confrontation between the alliance partners leaves no doubt that they have completely lost moral ground to be in the Government and Badal should seek a fresh mandate.

He also said that the SAD-BJP Government has lost all credibility amongst people of Punjab which as per the recent statement of Sukhbir Singh Badal that people are believing a criminal (Jagdish Singh Bhola) more than his own Government.

Bajwa demands sorting of One Rank - One Pension issue of Ex-Servicemen immediately

I fully support the just and righteous demand of this country’s ex-servicemen for the full and immediate implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP). Those who shed their blood for our freedom must get full justice in every way. The govt must not delay the implementation of this very fair demand a minute longer. In the past I have taken up the cause of veterans for OROP both in parliament and with the govt of the day. My voice was the loudest in demanding its full and immediate acceptance. This led to the Govt of Dr Manmohan Singh accepting the demand and the definition of OROP. In the interim budget presented in February 2014 an allocation of Rs 500 crores was made for the payment of enhanced pensions with the then Finance Minister, Mr. Chidambaram announcing that monetary constraints would not come in the way of rendering justice to the community of veterans who have defended the nation with their blood and sweat.

The current prime minister, Mr. Modi also lent his support to the demand claiming that he would ‘have the honour of implementing OROP’. This he again reiterated while on a visit to meet Jawans on the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen on Diwali last year. However the actions of his govt and its defence minister in particular tell a different story altogether. Despite a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,000 crores in the regular budget presented by Mr. Jaitely who wore both hats of defence and finance minister there has been no movement towards the enhanced pensions reaching veterans beyond periodic assurances which sound very hollow in the absence of positive action. Mr. Jaitely in particular told representatives of veterans in an interaction in July to ‘lower their expectations’. Indeed the very definition of OROP as accepted by the Bhagat Singh Koshiyari Committee and the previous govt was called into question. This is the unfair and unjust way those who defended us are being treated!

Neither did the situation improve under Mr. Jaitely’s successor, Mr. Parrikar. In fact it worsened with the new defence minister creating an uproar and much heart-burning and the worst kind of apprehension among ESM by announcing that the govt intended to ‘satisfy veterans’ aspirations by 80% since 100% satisfaction was impossible in life’ ! What a cruel joke! Could there be a cruder, more insensitive way of treating veterans’ grievances than this? Mr. Parrikar must tender an abject apology to our ex-soldiers.

What appears likely is that the righteous demands of ESM are about to be sacrificed at the altar of Mr. Modi’s and the BJP’s political aspirations and desire to indulge in grand-standing. They appear to be unwilling to implement the demand for OROP merely because it was first accepted in principle by the Congress govt. Secondly, the BJP is attempting to give the credit of accepting the demand to Mr. Modi in a bid to project him as a superman and a political giant with a solution for every problem. This is unacceptable to the people of this country. Nothing less than the immediate and full acceptance of OROP will satisfy them. I add my voice to that of all ex-servicemen and will express my solidarity with their cause by joining the Dharna planned to be held by the leading veterans’ organization, the Indian Ex-Servicemen’s Movement (IESM) on 1st February at Delhi.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa said the Bharatiya Janata Party was not just the political partner but also a shareholder in the sins being committed by the Akali Dal going by the way the party backtracked overnight from its declared stand on the demand for resignation of the Revenue Minuister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia in the drug smuggling case.

The real face of the BJP on the drug menace in Punjab stands exposed with the party opposing the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress in the Assembly today. The issue here is not whether the Congress has succeeded in getting its motion carried in the Assembly or not. Our intention was to focus on this issue. The real stand of the parties has now come on record. It has proved that the concern expressed by the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi on this scourge that has hit Punjab was nothing more than shedding crocodile tears. In case he had been sincere, he would have directed his party against opposing the no-confidence motion on this sensitive issue”, he said.

The PPCC said there was nothing unusual about the stand of the Akali Dal on this issue as Mr Majithia was part of the broader Badal family being brother-in-law of the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal. The Akali Dal was bound to defend Mr Majithia. However, the people of Punjab wanted to know as to why the BJP opted for a sudden turn around, despite the fact that one of its leaders even till late last evening had issued a statement demanding Mr Majithia’s resignation.

“The issue no more concerns just the BJP in Punjab. It is the Prime Minister who must come out to explain his party position on the issue which not only concerns Punjab but the entire country. You can’t run with the hare and hound with the fox. The BJP must address the real concerns of the people rather than adopting diversionary tactics like talking of Hindu Rashtra or creating social tensions on the issue of religious conversions. Mr Modi must tell the nation as to why his party has failed the people in Punjab”, he added.

Mr Bajwa pointed out that both the state BJP chief Mr Kamal Sharma and party’s National Secretary Mr Tarun Chugh had demanded that Mr Majithia must resign before appearing for questioning in response to summons from the Enforcement Directorate. How come that the party suddenly made a turn around? He accused the BJP of indirectly extending patronage to the drug smugglers through such actions. This amounted to cheating the people.

He asserted the people of Punjab would not forgive the BJP for its opportunistic stand as it was now becoming clear that the only motive of the party was to stay in power by hoodwinking the people. He said the Congress would expose the BJP in every nook and corner of the state. He said the reality of the Akali Dal had been known for long but it was the BJP which had been unmasked for the first time and that too on a very sensitive issue on which it had taken stridently anti-people stand.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today demanded strict action against the Revenue Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia from the Sikh Panth for distorting Gurbani.

Mr Bajwa said Mr Majithia was a habitual offender as he had similarly distorted Gurbani during the Lok Sabha election campaign. He had to apologise at that time and he was awarded religious punishment.

Mr Bajwa was of the view that the Revenue Minister had not learnt any lesson from the blunder he had committed earlier and repeated it while speaking in the Assembly on the no-confidence motion moved against him by the Congress on the issue of drug smuggling.

He appealed to the Sikh high priests to take strong note of this habitual offender and distorting Gurbani amounted to sin and excommunicate him from the Sikh Panth.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today demanded resignation of the Revenue Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia for having been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear on December 26 in the drug smuggling racket which had rocked the state months back.

In a statement, Mr Bajwa reminded Mr Majithia that earlier, the then Jails Minister Mr Sarwan Singh Phillaur had resigned in the same case when the name of his son had surfaced. Now it was Mr Majithia who had been summoned and he must resign and appear before the investigators to pave the way for transparent investigation.

He alleged that Mr Majithia had to be finally summoned as there was no other way out as the ruling first family in the state was out to scuttle the investigations. It was for this reason that he had been demanding CBI inquiry which the state government had been opposing. He asserted his stand had now been vindicated that the powerful people whose names had surfaced in the multi-crore drug racket must be investigated thoroughly by an independent agency and not Punjab police.

He further said that the Enforcement Directorate has jurisdiction only with regard to violations and offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act whereas the allegations against Bikramjit Singh Majithia are of aiding, abetting and facilitating the multi-thousand crore drug racket for which the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985 would squarely apply. This belated attempt to summon Bikramjit Singh Majithia by the Enforcement Directorate is an attempt to shield him from the stringent provisions under the NDPS Act. S. Bikramjit Singh Majithia ought be prosecuted under the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) for aiding, abetting and facilitating the drug racket in India. The SAD-BJP Government both at the Centre and the State is treating Majithia with kid gloves.

He said that as long as Bikramjit Singh Majithia continues to be a Minister no free or independent probe can be expected given the enormous political clout that he enjoys within the State apparatus as being the brother in law of the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and the brother of the Union Cabinet Minister.

The present probe example is a classic example of dissecting the investigation probe between the ED, Punjab Police and other agencies so that a foolproof or watertight case is not prepared against the traffickers and their patronizers enabling them to take advantage of this major lacuna under the investigation process.

S. Bajwa said that it is of utmost importance that a comprehensive probe is ordered which investigates all dimensions of the drug racket case instead of multiple agencies pulling in different directions. For eg. The ED has now summoned Bikramjit Singh Majithia whereas the consistent stand of the Punjab Police is that Bikramjit Majithia is innocent. This reflects how political pressure is scuttling a free and fair probe process.

S. Bajwa apprehended that as long as Bikramjit Singh Majithia continues to be a Minister, any probe would simply be an eye wash or a cover up exercise to protect and shield the king – pin of this muti-thousand crores drug racket case that is ruining the future of the State of Punjab. Furthermore, the Enforcement Directorate is under the administrative control of the Department of Revenue that comes under the Finance Ministry, therefore every attempt is being made to subvert the probe process and reduce a sensitive case of this nature to a cover up exercise.

The PPCC President said that it is imperative that the Union Government constitutes a Judicial inquiry headed by a sitting Judge of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1956 to inquire into all allegations emanating from this matter given the public interest involved or refers the matter to the CBI for a through probe since this case has strong international ramifications wherein some of the accused persons are important elements of the international drug syndicate such as Satpreet Singh alias Satta, Parminder Singh Pindi, Amarinder Singh Laddi who are all Canadian nationals apart from other accused persons like Jagit Singh Chahal and Bittu Aulakh. Given this factual situation it was important that the CBI ought to have investigated this case as it is the designated nodal agency to co-ordinate with the Interpol and other foreign law enforcement agencies. Moreover serious allegations have made against the brother of a cabinet Colleague of the Prime Minister, which make it necessary, that the investigation process inspires credibility and confidence.

The issue involved is not political and nor any political motives should be attached in this case. The problem of drug menace has assumed very alarming social proportions. Now even the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi has to take its cognisance. It was the Congress Vice-president Mr Rahul Gandhi who had first raised the issue but the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal had dubbed his statement as political. It is because of this stand taken by the Badals that Mr Majitha, who is brother-in-law of Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, must resign”, he said.

Mr Bajwa said every village in the state had been affected by the drug menace and the supply of such large quantities of drugs was not possible without political patronage. The Badals had been blaming smuggling from across the border conveniently overlooking the fact that the drugs being consumed in the state were mainly synthetic. The drug being smuggled from across the border was mainly heroine going by the seizures made by the Border Security Force. The former cop turned drug lord who had given out Mr Majithia’s name had been arrested for the smuggling of synthetic drugs which were being produced here. He alleged that Badals were only trying to misdirect investigations by talking of smuggling from across the border.

The Disciplinary Action Committee of the Punjab Congress today announced the expulsion of the former Ludhiana district Congress Committee (Urban) chief and five others from the primary membership of the party.

The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the DAC held here last evening under the chairmanship of Mr Gopal Krishan Chatrath and attended by Mrs Gurkanwal Kaur and Mr Jaswant Singh Phapharke.

Others who have invited similar action include Mr Palwinder Singh Taggar, President, Block Congress Committee, Atma Nagar-2, Ludhiana, Mr Baljinder Singh (Bunty), President, Block Congress Committee, Ludhiana West-I, Mr Satwinder Jawaddi, President, Block Congress Committee, Ludhiana West-11, Mr Vinod Bhatla, President, Block Congress Committee Atma Nagar-1 and Mr Gursimran Singh Mand.

Mr Chatrath said these leaders had leveled wild and unsubstantiated against the Party President and senior Congress Leadership looking after the state affairs. They went to the extent of launching a movement for the ouster of the PPCC President, knowing fully well that he had been appointed by the party President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi. They were issued show cause notices in accordance with the due procedure.

Mr Chatrath said Mr Dewan admitted to not only having leveled allegations against the state party President but he also stuck to his stand in his reply.

The Disciplinary Action Committee also looked into the news cuttings showing Mr Dewan and his associates holding press conference at Chandigarh repeating the allegations on the day the AICC Vice President Mr Rahul Gandhi held meeting with office bearers of PPCC in the city. The committee noted with regret that these leaders had gone to Delhi, held press conferences and launched anti PCC President drive, burnt his effigies and repeated allegations which they had leveled in the press conference held earlier.

The members of the DAC were of the view that Mr Dewan and his associates' conduct deserved serious action as they had surpassed all past cases of indiscipline so far noticed by them. It was felt that all the actions of these persons were well thought of and stage managed conspiracy to harm the image of the party in connivance with anti-Congress forces.

It was unanimously decided to expel them from the party and its primary membership for indulging in anti-party activities. Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, General Secretary Incharge has also been informed about this disciplinary action taken.

The committee was also of the firm view that stern action should be taken against all those who indulge in indiscipline of this magnitude and if such stringent action was not taken in time, it would severely harm the image of the party in the coming days.

The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today strongly condemned the dastardly terrorist attack near the Wagha border in Pakistan in which more than 50 innocent persons lost their lives.

In a statement, Mr Bajwa said terrorism needed to be confronted unitedly by all the countries as it was a menace that threatened the entire world.

He expressed full sympathy with the Pakistan government and the affected families.039762

S. Partap Singh Bajwa write to Narender Modi seeking safety of minorities in Pakistan

S. Partap Singh Bajwa, President PPCC today wrote letter (enclosed) to Sh. Narendere Modi Prime Minister of India seeking his intervention for ensuring safety of minorities in Pakistan. It may be mentioned that 8 Sikhs have been killed in the last 18 months and many Hindus and Christians have also been killed in the past in Pakistan.

Bajwa demands roll back of hike in VAT on diesel in Punjab

Chandigarh, October 3:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, has demanded immediate roll back of the one per cent hike in VAT on diesel which has been made effective from October 1.

In a statement, Mr Bajwa said by effecting the hike in VAT, the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had given “Black Diwali gift” to the people in general, industry and the farmers in particular. This decision has raised the price of diesel in the state by 58 paise per litre. This hike is aimed at adding Rs. 110 crore as additional revenue from VAT on diesel.

He pointed out that VAT on diesel in Punjab was amongst the highest in the states in the country, much higher than even the neighbouring Haryana. He ridiculed Mr Badal for claiming himself to be the biggest champion of the farmers as it was this section which would suffer the most from this decision in view of the fact that the farm sector in Punjab was known to be the main consumer of diesel. The state had the highest number of tractors and other farm equipment dependent on diesel.

The PPCC chief said it was Mr Badal who had been attacking the UPA for every hike in the prices of diesel and petroleum on the logic that such decisions were anti-people and add to all round inflation.

“Mr Badal owes an explanation to the people as to why VAT has been increased by one per cent in the state in which it is already being charged at the rate of 8.75 per cent. You can’t have double standards on every issue”, he added.

He warned Mr Badal against continuing with the anti-people policies of his government some of which had been opposed even by his alliance partner, the BJP and said the people would pay back in the same coin at the appropriate

Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi & Shastri Celebrated at Punjab Congress Bhawan

Chandigarh, 2 October 2014

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee commemorated the 145th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi -The Father of the Nation & 110th Birth Anniversary of former Prime Minister Sh. Lal Bahadur Sashtri today at Punjab Congress Bhavan, Sector-15, Chandigarh.

Floral tributes to the Father of the Nation were offered by the S. Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa General Secretary PPCC, S. Kanwarjit Singh Lalli Ex-MLA, S. Paramjit Singh Randhawa Secretary PPCC, S. Gurpartap Singh Mann Secretary PPCC, Sh. Lakharam Davesar Chairman Bazigar Cell PPCC, Sh. Surinder Gupta Former President DCC Faridkot, S. Jang Bahadur General Secretary SC Department and Congress workers & Seva Dal volunteers was also present on the occasion. Religious hymns from all religions were chanted and the most famous prayer of Mahatma Gandhi “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” was also sung by the participants. A large number of persons from adjoining Mohali, Banur and Kharar attended the function and pledged to follow the teachings of the Mahatma in their lives.

Bajwa felicitated the countrymen on the eve of Vijaya Dashmi

Chandigarh: October 2, 2014

S. Partap Singh Bajwa President Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has felicitated the countrymen on the eve of Vijaya Dashmi being celebrated tomorrow all over the country.

Describing this festival to commemorate victory of good over evil Mr. Bajwa said that we should take pledge on this day eradicate the evils of corruption and nepotism from the public life.

Bajwa appeals Badal to stop telling blatant lies on discrimination by UPA

Badal failed to raise the issue of dislocated Punjabi farmers of Kutch: Bajwa

Chandigarh, September 23:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Badal, today lambasted the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for continuing to deliberately mislead the people by alleging discrimination by the UPA government despite the fact that the Union Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, had debunked this malicious and mischievous campaign in his letter to the state government rejecting the demand for a special package.

Reacting strongly to the continuing propaganda by Mr Badal on this non-existent issue, he said Mr Jaitley had quoted facts and figures in his letter that Punjab had been receiving financial assistance over and above its share under the UPA regime.

“It does not behove the leader of your stature who has become the Chief Minister for the fifth time to continue with the baseless charade. It seems the only legacy you will leave behind would be of politics based on untruths and blatant lies, thereby harming the interests of Punjab in the longer run. Communal harmony is not your contribution. It was then chief minister Mr Beant Singh who had brought peace to the troubled state while leaders like you had been supporting the demands of the radicals and you had gone to the extent of signing a memorandum submitted to the UN demanding Khalistan. You have no moral right to stake such claims”, he said.

He took Mr Badal to task for his refrain holding the UPA responsible for the industrial backwardness of the state resulting from the concessions given to the neighbouring states. He called upon Mr Badal to have the moral courage to admit that these concessions were announced by the Atal Behari Vajpayee government in March 2002, in which Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, was a senior Minister and S. Sukhbir Singh Badal was member of Rajya Sabha during 2001 to 2004. Did he record his opposition at that time, Mr Badal must explain. Instead he is blaming the UPA for this by telling complete lies to people of Punjab.

The fortunes of Punjab started declining after the then Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee visit to Uttranchal and Himachal Pradesh during March 29 and 31, 2002, where he announced tax and central excise concessions to attract investments to special category states. 18700 industrial units have shut down in Punjab and rendered about 10 lakh people jobless.

The PPCC chief asserted that it was now the NDA government in which Mr Badal’s daughter-in-law Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal was the cabinet minister which had dealt a serious blow to the state by rejecting the demand for a special package within weeks. The UPA had never meted out such humiliating treatment to the Punjab government. He recalled that the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had never turned down any demand for financial assistance by the Badal government and this was too well known to all. He challenged Mr Badal to cite even a single instance where the UPA had done any discrimination to the Punjab government.

S. Bajwa said that during meeting with Sh. Modi, Mr Badal had not even raised the long pending issue of 15000 Punjabi farmers who have been dislocated by the Gujarat Government. He also never raised the issue of 3200 rice mills in Punjab which are on the verge of closure due to tough specifications and reduced shelling time by GoI. This will very adversely affect the farmers as well.

S. Bajwa demanded that Mr Badal should waive off farmers’ loan of the Cooperative Banks with the support of Centre Government on line with waiver of Rs 70000 cr loan of farmers by UPA in 2009.

Vested interests at the core of unprincipled alliances of Badal: Bajwa

Demands white paper on utilisation of 850 crores released by UPA for water logging

Khadoor Sahib/Chandigarh, September 18:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today lambasted the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for entering into alliances with other political parties purely to protect his vested business interests rather than on any ideological basis as evident from Haryana. He announced that the Congress would mobilise the farmers in the state against anti-farmer policies of the governments both at the centre as well as in the state.

Addressing an impressive gathering here on the holy land associated with Guru Angad Dev, the PPCC chief pointed out that the Akali Dal was in alliance with the BJP in the state and at the centre but the party was opposing its own alliance partner in neighbouring Haryana where it was in partnership with the Indian National Lok Dal led by Mr Om Parkash Chautala, now in Tihar jail, citing family ties while in essence, business interests were at the core. It was the Devi Lal government which had allotted to kland to the Badal where now stand a seven star hotel.

He said Mr Badal had been trading the Haryana Sikhs for the business interests of his family and it was for this reason that he had misused every Sikh institution to oppose the formation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as this was going to end his monopoly. He said while the formation of this committee had fulfilled longstanding demand of the Sikhs in that state to manage their own shrines, it would facilitate their emergence as a powerful group which facilitate them to bargain directly keeping in view the interests of the community in that state. He said the population of the Sikhs was second highest in Haryana after Punjab but till now, they lacked such a platform and hence they were getting ignored.

He announced that the Congress would launch agitation shortly on the issues concerning the farmers, the immediate one being reduction in the moisture limit from 15 to 14 per cent which would create problems, especially in the context of late monsoons. This step of GoI will virtually destroy the Rice Shelling industry in Punjab and farmers will have to face lot of hardships to sell the paddy crop.

He said on this land where Guru Angad Dev evolved Gurmukhi script, Mr Badal should tell the people as to why Punjabi was being ignored even in Union territory of Chandigarh where it did not enjoy the status of a second language. He slammed the Chief Minister for just resorting to sloganeering to exploit the sentiments of the people without getting a single demand accepted. Earlier he could pass on the blame to the UPA government at the centre alleging discrimination but now it was his own government in power at the centre in which his own daughter-in-law Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal was the cabinet minister.

He recalled that Mr Badal had bestowed the honour of Sardar-e-Azam on Mr Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab who, after taking over as the Prime Minister, had rebuffed Punjab on every issue. “Mr Badal promised truckloads of money with Mr Modi becoming Prime Minister but on the contrary, the Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, had rejected the demand for a special package. The tyres of his money truck have been deflated by the Modi government. Yet another blow to Punjab is the change in paddy specification which would affect both farmers and the millers. The third shocker is the rejection of yet another long pending demand by Mr Jaitley in his capacity as the Defence Minister relating to recruitment in the armed forces on the basis of merit rather than the present system of quota”, he added.

The PPCC asserted it was former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who deserved the honour of Sardar-e-Azam as he had never turned back Mr Badal while Mr Modi had become inaccessible to the Punjab Chief Minister as his picture with him presenting him a bouquet had not appeared in the papers for a long time.

He alleged that while Badal and Badals had promised truckloads of money, these were there but going out in private trucks in the form of earnings from sand and drugs. He also charged the Badal government with frittering away the allocation of Rs. 850 made by the UPA government to the state to deal with the problem of waterlogging and floods. He said heavy rains had again created havoc in parts of the Malwa region and Mr Badal must explain to the people as to where they money had been diverted. He demanded a white paper on the utilization of the funds released by UPA for this purpose.

He slammed Badal for squandering the public money through Sangat Darshans. Rs 3000 crores is being squandered through Sangat Darshans every year purely on the whims and fancies of the CM. Badal is still stuck in the feudal mindset. Now even Arun Jaitley has raised serious objections of misuse of RDF and PIDB funds and the Union finance minister wants these funds to be routed through consolidated funds for monitoring and transparency.

Others who spoke on occasion included S. Surinder Pal Singh Sibia Vice President PPCC, S. Harminder Singh Gill General Secretary PPCC, S. Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa General Secretary PPCC, Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia General Secretary PPCC, S. Jasbir Singh Dimpa General Secretary PPCC, Sh. Yoginder Pal Dhingra General Secretary PPCC, S. Gurchet Singh Bhullar Ex Minister, S. Sukhpal Singh Bhullar President District Congress Committee Tarn Taran, Sh. Rajiv Bhagat President District Congress Committee Amritsar Urban, Sh. Gurjit Aujla President District Congress Committee Amritsar Urban, Prof. Gurwinder Singh Mamanke Secretary PPCC, S. Bhupinder Singh Bittu Inderjit Singh Zira Chairman Kisan & Khet Majdoor Cell, S. Inderjit Singh Basarke Ex President DCC Amritsar Rural, S. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal Chairman Intellectual Cell, S. Jatinder Pal Singh Bedi Chairm Beopar Cell, Sh. Amjad Khan Chairman Minority Cell, Sh. Jagtar Burj Chairman Panchayat Rural & Development Cell, S. Gurminder Singh Rataul, S. Baldish Singh Toor Secretary PPCC, S. Anoop Bhullar, S. Gurdev Singh Bittu Secretary PPCC, Sh. Pardeep Kumar Chopar Secretary PPCC, Sh. Bhola Singh Shakri Chairman Transport Cell, Smt. Mamta Dutta, Sh. Kulbir Singh Zira, Sh. Paramjit Singh Randhawa Secretary PPCC and Sh. Pinderjit Singh Sarli

Punjab Congress condemns the breach of protocol and conduct rules of service by Fatehgarh Sahib SDM

CHANDIGHAR: 17th September, 2014:

S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and S. Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress MLAs, called upon the Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, to express their concern over the unbecoming behaviour of Smt. Pooja Sayal Grewal, PCS, Fatehgarh Sahib, towards Shri Kuljit Singh Nagra, MLA. They also told the Speaker that the officer has overstepped her perview by going to the press against MLA. She has breached the privileges of the elected representatives of the people and that too in the presence of general public. She has also breached the protocol and conduct rules of service. Her arrogant and rude behavior towards a sitting MLA is highly condemnable. They stressed upon the Speaker for an enquiry into this unfortunate incident and refer the matter to the Committee on Privileges of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

They further urged upon Speaker to ensure the respect and maintenance of dignity of Legislators at the hands of bureaucracy while they deal with them. Presently, the officers hardly listen and care about the legislators. They do not give proper respect to the legislators, which they deserve, when they contact them for redressal of public grievances. In the protocol MLAs enjoy the status above that of Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab, which should infailingly be observed by the bureaucrats. An Office Memorandum No. 11013/4/2011-Estt. (A) dated 01.12.2011 issued by Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India, in this connection, should be strictly followed.

The Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, assured the MLAs appropriate action in the matter and to ensure the respect and dignity of the Legislators.

Govt should tell its officers to give due respect to elected representatives : Bajwa

Chandigarh: 16.9.2014

S. Partap Singh Bajwa strongly condemned the incidence which happened between the SDM Fatehgarh Sahib and S. Kuljit Singh Nagra. He said that he had inquired from his sources that S. Nagra did not use any abusive language against the SDM.

S. Bajwa strongly condemned the action of the officer when she told people to directly contact her, instead of approaching their elected representative from the area.

Coming strongly in support of the MLA, he said that we are living in a democratic country and people choose their representatives. People are completely justified to approach their MLAs for getting their problems addressed.

S. Bajwa asked the CM Punjab to direct the officers to give due respect to the Congress MLAs and do away with the illegal and undemocratic system of Halqa Incharges who have usurped the powers of MLAs and shattered the fabric of democracy.

He requested the young officers to keep their balance at work even though they are under tremendous pressure from the Akali-BJP government for carrying out their unreasonable orders.

Bye-poll results reflect steepest ever fall of a leader’s popularity: Bajwa

Chandigarh, September 16:

Describing the bye-election results in several states as re-assertion of the secular thought, the Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, said here was the steepest ever fall of the popularity of a leader as the BJP had swept to power riding on what had then been described as Mr Narendra Modi’s tidal wave.

Mr Bajwa said never earlier in electoral history of India the popularity graph of a leader and his party had witnessed such a steep nosedive and that too within 100 days of the government coming into power at the centre. The people within no time had forcefully rebuffed the communal political discourse while making it clear that who-so-ever tried to destroy the secular fabric of this country would not be allowed to succeed in such nefarious designs.

He asserted that it was the Congress under the leadership of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi and Mr Rahul Gandhi that was leading the secular political discourse and the idea of a secular India could not be tinkered with.

He alleged that in the run up to the bye-elections, the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party tried to poison the social environment especially in Uttar Pradesh where this party had swept the polls in the Lok sabha electuions. However, the party got exposed within no time.

He said within no time of coming into power, the Narendra Modi government just forgot about the dream of “ache din aayenge” and the people had now taught a lesson to the sectarian BJP as the party, which had given the slogan of “Sabka Vikas” embarked upon the policy of “Vinaash” by dividing the people on communal lines.

He expressed the hope that this trend would continue in the forthcoming Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Bajwa seeks Sushma’s intervention for release of Punjabi youth

Chandigarh, September 16:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, has urged the External Affairs Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, to take up the case of the release of nine detained Indian youth with the Kuwait government on priority.

In a letter to the External Affairs Minister today, he said eight of these youth were from Punjab and the ninth from Rajasthan who were working with Ahmadiya Construction Company there. He said it was a very serious issue demanding immediate intervention.

He informed Mrs Swaraj that these workers were arrested as prime suspects in the murder of an Egyptian co-worker whose death was subsequently declared as natural due to heart attack.

Providing details, he pointed out that originally, a total of eleven Indians were arrested in this case. Two of them got bail due to sincere efforts of some Punjabi social workers residing in Kuwait but rest of them were still in Kuwait police custody. Neither the Indian Embassy nor their company was showing any concern to help them.

He said these young Punjabis were the victims of personal grudge which started over some petty argument and then converted into dispute. However, the death of Egyptian worker was in no way related to this dispute and his Egyptian companions were trying to take undue advantage of the situation by accusing these innocent young Punjabis for the murder of their co-worker.

He referred to the plight of their helpless families back home who were going through hell and deep agony. They had been running from pillar to post for seeking help and justice for their kith and kin.

The PPCC chief urged the External Affairs Minister to look into this serious matter and take up the issue at appropriate level for getting justice to these people.

Punjab Congress gears up for local bodies’ polls

Chandigarh, September 15:

Gearing up for the forthcoming local bodies elections in the state, the Punjab Congress today demanded total transparency in the process for the delimitation of the wards by making it online. The party submitted a memorandum to this effect to the Governor, Mr Shivraj Patil and the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal.

The situation was reviewed by the state party chief Mr Partap Singh Bajwa at the meeting of the district presidents followed by that of the heads of frontal organisations. Both these meetings were attended by the party’s national Secretary, Mr Harish Chaudhary, who had come from Delhi especially for this purpose.

The mobilisation of the party at the grass root level would begin with the meetings of the office bearers in every district to be addressed by Mr Bajwa.

The PPCC chief said the party would take up property tax, delay in issuance of NOCs for property registration and other issues concerning the urban population including the pathetic condition of roads and insanitation to aggressively confront the Akali Dal-BJP combine.

Mr Bajwa said fissures were already discernible between the Akali Dal and the BJP on several issues which would be fully exploited by the Congress.

In the memorandum to the Governor and the Chief Minister which was signed by the PPCC chief and the district presidents, the party slammed the Badal government for not giving representation to it in the process of formation of wards. The entire process was being done in a most clandestine and secretive manner. No information regarding the proposed wards was being supplied to the Congress in the municipal council or municipal corporation despite repeated demands in this respect.

The memorandum alleged the delimitation of wards was being done as per the whims and fancies of the leaders, halqa incharges and office bearers and workers of the Akali Dal and BJP. These leaders were playing havoc with the entire delimitation process, as they were dictating terms and bullying the decision making process with ulterior motives of helping their own party candidates.

The party demanded that in the interest of level playing field and fair play, it was imperative to provide the information to the general public and the opposition political parties. In an order to provide total transparency, the delimitation of wards should be made available online which would provide proper opportunity to the general public and concerned persons including the other political parties to file objections against the proposed delimitation if any.

Mr Bajwa asserted that the party would come out victorious in these elections as the people were fed up with false promises and lack of development.

Those who participated in the meeting Sh. Rajiv Bhagat (Advocate) President, DCC (Amritsar Urban), Sh. Gurjit Singh Aujla President, DCC (Amritsar Rural), Sh. Sukhjinder S Randhawa, MLA President, DCC (Gurdaspur), Sh. Anil Vij President, DCC (Patahankot), Sh. Sham Sunder Arora, MLA President, DCC (Hoshiarpur), Sh Dharampal Bangar President, DCC (Nawanashahar), Sh. Prem Krishan Puri President, DCC (Patiala Urban), S. Major Singh Bhaini Ludhiana Rural, Sh. Balbir Singh Sidhu, MLA President, DCC (Mohali), Sh. Lakhvir Singh Lakha President, DCC (Khanna), S. Paramjit Singh Maan President, DCC (Barnala), Mai Roop Kaur President, DCC (Sangrur), Ajit Inder Singh Mofar, MLA Mansa, Sh. Mohan Lal Aggarwal, President, DCC (Bathinda Urban), Sh. Gura Singh Tungwali President, DCC (Bathinda Rural), Sh. Joginder S Panjgrahian, MLA President, DCC (Faridkot), Sh. Sukhpal Singh Bhullar President, DCC (Tarn Taran), Sh. Gurmeet Singh Khudian President, DCC (Muktsar), Sh. Koshal Kumar President, DCC (Fazilka), Sh. Harbhag Singh Saini President, DCC (Ropar), S. Harinder Singh Bhambri President, DCC (Fatehgarh Sahib).

Modi govt decision on new padding norms anti-Punjab: Bajwa

Chandigarh, September 14:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today flayed the decision of the Narendra Modi government fixing new norms about paddy procurement and milling as yet another big set back to the state after the rejection of the demand of the Akali Dal-BJP government for special package as anti-Punjab, anti-farmer and anti-miller. He said in case the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his party had any self-respect, the party should come out of the Modi government.

In a statement, he strongly opposed to decision of the centre to bring down the paddy moisture content limit from 15 to 14 per cent as this would adversely affect both farmers as well as the millers. Even earlier, the procurement agencies had been rejecting paddy on the slight pretext of higher moisture content. Moreover, this would create further complications for the rice millers as milling would not be conducive under the new norms.

He expressed the apprehension that due to untimely rains in the region, the moisture content was likely to be higher and it would take more time to dry the paddy.

The PPCC chief said yet another decision that would directly hit the millers was the reduction in the paddy milling period by about two months. Earlier, the time limit set for the paddy milling was June 30 which had now been brought down to April 15. With the amount of paddy coming to the mandis in this state, it would be impossible for the millers to complete this job during this curtailed period.

He lambasted Mr Badal for not raising his voice against this anti-Punjab decisions by his own government at the centre as all along, he had been promising people that the change in the government at the centre would end all alleged discrimination by the UPA government and the state would usher in a new era.

“It is the Union Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, who had earlier rubbished Mr Badal’s motivated propaganda against the previous UPA government while rejecting the demand for a special package on the ground that the state had been getting more than its quota of funds from the UPA government. This was the first set back to the Badal government. The decision on the new paddy norms is yet another salvo. Now the people have a right to know from Mr Badal as to whether it was the UPA government which, in his own words, was meting out step-motherly treatment to Punjab or the Modi government. It is his moral duty to clarify his perverted perception”, he added.

He wanted to know whether Union Minister for Food Processing, Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal, from the Akali Dal quota in the Modi government was party to this decision or not. He said it was the earlier NDA government which had given industrial concessions to the neighbouring states when Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was the Union Minister of State for Industries. The two situations had strong parallels. The situation demanded explanation from Mr Badal, he said.

Badal government exposed on central assistance: Bajwa

Chandigarh, September 5:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the Parkash Singh Badal government in the state stood thoroughly exposed on the issue of central assistance with the Union Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley categorically rejecting its case of higher financial assistance arguing that the devolution to Punjab was already higher by 99.36 per cent.

“This has vindicated our stand that the UPA government headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh had always gone out of the way in the matter of allocation of financial assistance to Punjab while the Badal government all along had been alleging discrimination. Mr Badal and his son and the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal had been selling the dream to the people that Punjab would get truckloads of money after the change in regime at the centre ending this discrimination. They should tell the people as was to why were they misleading them and where all those trucks have been diverted,” he asserted.

He pointed out that as per the figures quoted by Mr Jaitley, Punjab had been getting more than its share of central assistance from the Dr Manmohan Singh government, especially during the period from 2010-15 which was the period of the UPA government till this government took over earlier this year.

He quoted from Mr Jaitley’s letter to hammer the point which states, “The allocation of aggregate plan resources of Punjab has been increasing over the years from Rs. 11,520 crore in 2011-12 to Rs. 16,125 in 2013-14. The central assistance of Rs. 4,606 has been provided to Punjab during 2013-14 towards plan and non-plan grants, including agency transfers. Besides, central taxes amounting to Rs 4,431.47 crore have been devolved to the state during 2013-14… And additional central assistance of Rs. 887 crore has been approved in March 2014, for addressing water logging problems in the South West districts of which Rs. 100 crore has already been released”.

“it has been proved that Mr Badal has been doing his politics on the basis of utter lies saying that Punjab had suffered all along from the discrimination syndrome throughout at the hands of the Congress governments at the centre. He must now apologise to the people for resorting to this Gobbelian propaganda to deceived the people of Punjab”, he said.

He lambasted Mr Sukhbir Badal for his refrain that he would take the state of a huigher tangent of development with Mr Narendra Modi government taking over at the centre which also had been virtually promising a paradise but had ditched its oldest alliance partner at the very first opportunity.

Mr Bajwa referred to that part of Mr Jaitley’s letter which had advised rationalisation of power subsidy which in essence amounted to withdrawal free power to the farm sector. He called upon Mr Badal to share with the people as to what his government intended to do with this suggestion. He reminded him that all along in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, Mr Badal had been telling the people that all worries of Punjab would be over as Mr jaitley was going to become the Finance Minister in the Modi government. He was not wrong so far as his first point was concerned but the irony was that the very person who was projected as a panacea for all ills of Punjab had dumped his government, he added.

He said that Sh. Sukhbir Singh Badal had said that Punjab would get Truck loads of Money once Modi becomes the Prime Minister. Remarking on this, Sh. Bajwa said that it appears that the Notes in the trucks have been soiled/decomposed due to unseasonal rains.

Bajwa congratulates NSUI for victory in Panjab University polls

Chandigarh, Sept 5:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, congratulated the NSUI led alliance for the spectacular victory in the elections to the students council of the Panjab University held here today.

He said this victory of the NSUI, the student wing of the Congress, was a clear indication of the waning Narendra Modi wave and the return of the Congress. He perceived it as the first big sign of the secular ideology getting re-consolidated in the region.

The NSUI led alliance has managed to capture the post of president, secretary and the joint secretary.

He asserted this victory had to be seen in the context of the usual malpractices like money and muscle power resorted to by the Akali Dal President Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal as one of the contesting organisation happened to be the student wing of his party. He described it as a defeat of the fascist and regressive forces saying it also marked the beginning of the countdown for the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab.

Bajwa questions Sukhbir on the outcome of investment summits

Chandigarh, August 28:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today questioned the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, on the outcome of the much-hyped investment summits asserting the exercise had failed to facilitate any investment in the state.

He said the RTI reply received by Dr Jasdeepak Singh who heads the RTI cell of the PPCC, had made it clear that the Punjab Investors Summit of December, 2013 and the Agriculture Summit held in February, 2014 had proved to be big hoax as no MOU had finally materialised. Ironically, the boards of investment summit still dot Mohali, the venue. This state of affairs was shocking as Mr Badal had been projecting the industrial summit as his big achievement. He exploited the platform to project himself rather than being sincere about bringing investment in the state.

He rapped the Deputy Chief Minister for playing with the sentiments of the people by raising false hopes of investment leading to employment opportunities for political purposes. He described it was extreme example of politics of opportunism.

He said as per the reply received from the department concerned, a total of 138 MOUs were signed out of which only ten related to the agriculture summit. The state investment bureau had failed to provide the status report of any of these ten MOUs. Of these 138 MOUs, the present status of only 48 MOUs had been provided and that too was shrouded in ambiguity. Nothing was known about the fate of the remaining 90 MOUs.

Mr Bajwa pointed out that even out of these 48 MOUs, the status reported in case of 22 MOUs was “in communication with bureau” and in case of 20 others, it had been stated as “case in process with bureau”. In case of real estate company Omaxe which had proposed Rs 5350 crore investment in the housing sector, the status mentioned was “case received at bureau and closed”. Similar was the case with Agri and Food Processing Company which had shown interest in investing Rs. 50 crore. Yet in another case, the status reported was “case received at bureau and withdrawn” and this amount was just Rs 30 crore. The government had allotted kland in case of just two companies.

He slammed Mr Sukhbir Badal for wasting Rs. 4 crore of the public money on organising the investment summit which did not include expenditure on publicity. The money had just gone down the drain. As per the RTI reply from the state public relations department, the expenditure incurred on the investment summit amounted to Rs. 34 lakh.

The PPCC chief referred to the proposed PRT system in Amritsar which had been stalled as the bidder had backed out. Similarly, Ludhiana Metro project had been shelved. He said the Deputy Chief Minister had created a big hype about these projects. He challenged the Deputy Chief Minister to name even a single project which had taken off during the SAD-BJP regime.

Bajwa strongly condemns murderous attack on Congress candidate Jassi in Talwandi Sabo by Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu and his henchmen

Talwandi Sabo polls will herald Punjab towards freedom from tyrant and corrupt regime of Badal’s.

Talwandi Sabo/Chandigarh, August 21:

Strongly condemning the murderous attack by the Akali goons on the Congress candidate, Mr Harminder Singh Jassi in Rama Mandi today, the state party President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, asserted that despite excesses, booth capturing, buying of votes and other illegitimate means resorted to by the ruling Akali Dal, the Congress would retain this seat with a comfortable margin.

Mr Bajwa alleged the Akali Dal activists opened fire in Rama Mandi to create scare in Congress dominated area and said such terror tactics would prove to be counter-productive. Talwandi Sabo polls will herald Punjab towards freedom from tyrant and corrupt regime of Badal’s.

He slammed the Akali Dal for resorting to booth capturing, pressure tactics and other excesses in villages like Dunewal, Jeon Singhwala, Malkana, Giana, Bhagwanpur, some wards of Rama Mandi, Bangi Nihal Singh, Leleana and Shergarh.

He said Talwandi Sabo was the seat of Takht Damdama Sahib but the Akali Dal had desecrated this sacred land by large scale distribution of drugs to lure the voters.

He said the Akali activists openly indulged in purchase of votes on a large scale. Moreover, the Akali leaders from outside the constituency blatantly violated the directive of the Election Commission to leave the area after the end of campaigning. However, they were seen roaming around freely and pressurizing the voters. However, the Congress activists were meted out diametrically opposite treatment by the administration.

He also blasted the ruling party for the brazen misuse of the state machinery in an effort to facilitate the victory of the deserter from the Congress who was fielded by the Akali Dal.

He said the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal and the Union Minister for Food Processing, Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal, had campaigned in favour of the party candidate, Mr Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu.

Mr Bajwa, who himself had commandeered the campaign of Mr. Harminder Singh Jassi, said the Congress leaders and activists had hit back by virtually going in for carpet bombing to make the people realise that the outcome of this election would determine the destiny of Punjab. He thanked the people for overwhelming response and expressed the hope that the results of the two bye-elections would herald the much needed change in this state.

Bajwa condemns lathicharge on teachers in Amritsar

Chandigarh, Aug 4:

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today strongly condemned the brutal police lathicharge on the peacefully protesting ETT teachers in Amritsar yesterday and demanded immediate and unconditional withdrawal of cases registered against them.

In a statement, Mr. Bajwa said letting loose police repression against peaceful protesters was against all canons of democratic norms and it betrayed anti-people attitude of the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and his government.

He pointed out that the Sikhs get agitated when told by security men to remove their turbans for check-up at international airports abroad but in Punjab, the policemen themselves were showing total disrespect to turbans and this had not happened for the first time.

Extending full support to the demands of the ETT teachers who have been demanding their absorption into regular cadre, he said that there was shortage of teachers in Punjab and the education system was in shambles but the state government continued to be indifferent and playing havoc with future of our children.

He made it clear that peaceful agitation was the right of every citizen guaranteed under the constitution but the Badal government had adopted dictatorial attitude towards such agitations as it had failed to meet aspirations of various sections of society.

Bajwa demands immediate relief for yarn spinners

Chandigarh, Aug 4:

The Punjab Pradesh Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today demanded immediate relief by way of VAT withdrawal to the yarn spinner industry in the state to provide level playing field and check further flight of capital to the other states.

In a statement, Mr Bajwa extended full support to the demands of the spinning industry. He pointed out VAT was nil on yarn spinning industry in West Bengal, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh while it was just 2 per cent in Rajasthan as against 6 per cent in Punjab. This had proved to be ruinous for Punjab triggering capital flight to other states.

He said the yarn spinners from Punjab had already invested about Rs. 15,000 crores in other states leading to loss of 25,000 direct jobs while about one lakh persons would have got indirect employment from this investment here. The prosperity of Punjab had been compromised while the state had been losing crores in revenue.

Mr. Bajwa pointed out that the high incidence of VAT would also have to be seen in the context of higher wage rate and higher power tariff in the state, thus turning the yarn spinners in Punjab non-competitive.

He supported the demand of the yarn industry of providing level playing field by imposing a ban on imports, exemption from advance tax or lowering the VAT to two per cent.

He slammed the government for having failed to come to the rescue of the existing industry in the state while its new industrial policy and the so called industrial summit had failed to attract new investment.

Bajwa calls upon party men to snub disruptive forces by winning bye-elections

Chandigarh, August 3:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today called upon the party men to snub the forces of disruption, distraction and sabotage by winning the two bye-elections in the state and thereby, strengthen the hands of the party President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Sh. Rahul Gandhi.

In a statement, Mr Bajwa said this was the time for the party in the state to rise as one person and work for the attainment of a single objective of maintaining supremacy of the Congress in these two seats, a task which was not insurmountable keeping in view the tsunami of anger among the people against the mafia rule, brazen corruption and the drug menace that were eating into the vitals of the Punjabi society.

He maintained that as evident from latest activities of certain disgruntled, discontented and frustrated forces, a design was at work to sabotage the Congress at every level and the party men would have to remain alert against such elements and confront them with full force.

“It is not for the first time that such forces have become active against the party and its leadership. These people believe in immediate gains and this has been the only factor that has been dictating their politics. These forces forget the hard reality of the resilience of the that has always bounced back. This time too, the Congress will be back to regain its lost space as this is the only national party whose approach is inclusive and history has proved it. By winning the two bye-elections, the Congress in Punjab would set the trend”, he added.

He asserted that having failed to keep its promises of taking Punjab to higher orbit of development, the ruling Akali Dal had reverted to the Panthic agenda and this betrayed utter frustration of the ruling alliance. It was not without reason that the Bharatiya Janata Party, the alliance partner of the Akali Dal, had raised the banner of revolt and the two parties parting company was not ruled out as that would be the only option left with the BJP when further pushed to the wall.

At the same time, he made it clear that the Congress would carry forward its own pro-people agenda and would not base its politics on negativity. He said the Akali Dal had the history of creating tension when in trouble for vested political interests but the Congress was all prepared to defeat such nefarious designs. As a first step, the Congressmen should project the image of cohesiveness and unitedly work for the defeat of Akali Dal in Patiala and Talwandi Sabo bye-elections, he added.

Jagmeet Brar issued show cause notice

Chandigarh, Aug 2:

Taking a serious note of the irresponsible and highly undesirable utterances of the former MP, Mr. Jagmeet Singh Brar, the Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today issued show cause notice to him asking him to explain his conduct by August 5.

Mr. Bajwa said the notice had been issued following the directive from the AICC General Secretary and in charge of Punjab affairs, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed.

The PPCC chief asserted he had gone through his statement appearing in the media criticizing the party leadership which had been taken seriously as such irresponsible behavior was not expected from a leader like him who had the privilege of enjoying the confidence of the party President for years. In case he had some issues, the same could have been raised at the proper party forum instead of airing the views through the media.

He pointed out that his statement, seeking a break for the Party President and Vice President for two years, was irresponsible and highly undesirable at a time when the party was seriously discussing the causes and remedies of the setback suffered in recent elections. Moreover, in Punjab the party was facing two crucial bye- elections. Such statements coming from senior leaders like him had the potential of damaging the prospects of the Congress candidates, he added.

Badal suffers from selective memory loss: Bajwa

Badal had defied Akal takht many times and burnt the Constitution of India on which he swore 5 times;

The call for morcha will be the last hoax call to which people of Punjab will not respond

Chandigarh, July 24:

Launching a frontal attack on the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, the state Congress chief, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, said he suffered from selective memory loss and was playing his card of political opportunism by portraying his proposed agitation against the formation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as Panth versus Congress fight targeted at reviving the Akali Dal base whose erosion had been reflected in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The so called fight against the bifurcation of the Amritsar based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was to divert the tsunami of anger among the people against the government.

He said the proposed morcha was the last hoax call of Mr Badal to which the people of Punjab would not respond. “You cannot play with the sentiments of the people all the time by portraying the party as a Punjabi party at one time and then again reverting to the Panthic agenda depending upon your convenience”, he said.

In a statement, Mr Bajwa reminded Mr Badal that the issue had first cropped up way back in 1972 but despite that, he abandoned the demand of his party for all India Gurdwara legislation which could have ended such controversies as that would have given representation to the Sikhs from all over the country and ensured their participation in the management of their own shrines. However, Mr Badal reneged from this demand despite three drafts of the proposed legislation having been prepared which were consigned to the dustbin by the SGPC and the Akali Dal. It was the SGPC which was to ratify the draft for moving it in the Lok Sabha to enact the legislation. The people had a right to know as to why Mr Badal backtracked from that despite the fact that he had been controlling this body all these year. Of course, his monopoly would have ended with that.

He pointed out the SGPC was not an all India body as Mr Badal had tried to make out now as he must read the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, enacted by the Punjab Legislative Council according to which, its jurisdiction was confined to pre-partition Punjab. Even the areas of the princely states were not under it. It became an inter-state body corporate after re-organisation of Indian Punjab in 1966 which entitled Haryana to have its own body for the Sikh shrines. If it was an all India body, how come that the Akali Dal launched an agitation to have a similar body for the management of the Sikh shrines in Delhi, he asked. He advised Mr Badal to stop misleading and befooling people by distorting what was on the record.

“It is ironic that Mr Badal has suddenly started expressing his commitment to Akal Takht, the institution whose directives he himself had been defying at one time or the other. He violated the directive from Akal Takht when Prof Manjit Singh was its Jathedar at the time of the formation of the Akali Dal (Amritsar). As the Chief Minister, he again confronted Akal Takht Hukamnama in 1999 directing him to keep the Akali Dal united in view of the Khalsa Tercentenary in 1999. He went to the extent of getting then Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh sacked unceremoniously. It is ironic that his party is now raising the slogan of ‘Akal Takht Mahan Hai, Sikh Panth Dee Shaan Hai’ given by Akali Dal stalwart Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra following this defiance of Akal Takht by Mr Badal”, he added.

He called upon Mr Badal to disclose to the people that it was on the Congress ticket on which he had contested his first Assembly election in 1957. He slammed him for resorting to his opportunistic tactics to regain the lost support base by exploiting the religious sentiments of the people and said the people were now well aware and would not fall into his trap. He said the depth to which he could fall was the burning of the constitution by him in the pre-1984 period for which he was still to apologise although he had been swearing by the same constitution.

Badal trying to cover non-performance by launching morcha: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 20:

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today asserted that the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, was trying to cover across-the-board non-performance and brazen corruption in his government by launching the morcha against the Sikhs in Haryana which in itself was unprecedented and might trigger internecine war in the community.

In a statement issued here today, Mr. Bajwa lashed out at the Chief Minister for trying to exploit the Sikh sentiments in Punjab and divert the attention of the people as his government had totally failed to meet the aspirations of the people who were up in anger as evident from the Lok Sabha election.

He said yet at another level, the aim was to mobilise the support of the Akali Dal which had been completely eroded and the same had been reflected in the humiliating defeat of the now Union Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley in Amritsar.

“Mr. Badal has always used the Sikh politics to further interests of his own and that of his family through such agitations. It is the common Sikhs who have been making sacrifices and going to jails. Such agitations were exploited to consolidate support base but once in power, he has always backtracked from the very demands on which the party would push the people into such uncalled for struggles. This has been his track record and the people of Punjab should not get exploited by his emotive talk again. If he is so keen, he should make his daughter in law Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal resign from the Union cabinet as a first step. Only this will prove his sincerity”, he added.

He said yet at another level, it was apparent that he was making way for his son and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, who has become unpopular with the people, to take over in place. He must ensure that during the agitation, no member of the Badal family would accept any position of power.

He said, however, before launching the agitation, Mr. Badal must clarify the basic issue as to why was he out to scuttle the aspirations of the Sikhs in Haryana to manage their own shrines. The Sikh leaders of Haryana spearheading this movement had been taking up this issue with the religio-political authorities concerned in Punjab. However, the leadership in Punjab ignored their pleas and now the situation had reached a flash point.

Mr Bajwa expressed the apprehension in case the Akali Dal launched this agitation, the situation might flare up. At the national level, this situation might be exploited by the Narendra Modi government to administer the “bitter pill” to the people as he and his ministers had been saying rather than fulfilling the poll promises of the BJP. He perceived tacit support of the BJP at the national level to the effort of the Akali Dal to put the region on flame again for parochial political interests.

Akali agitation likely to vitiate atmosphere in the region again: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 19:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today slammed the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, for trying to vitiate the atmosphere in the region by reverting to the morcha politics on the issue of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Act. It seemed he had not learnt any lesson from the more than a decade long turbulence towards which this border state was pushed into by him earlier during which thousands of people were killed.

Reacting strongly to the decision taken at the core committee meeting of the Akali Dal in which it was decided to organise a Panthic Convention at the Golden Temple complexion July 27 when the launching of morcha would be announced, he attacked Mr. Badal for exploiting this holiest of the holy shrine again for the vested political interests. He said his son and the Shiromani Akali Dal President Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal was already commercially exploiting the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Golden Temple.

Mr. Bajwa asserted the Haryana Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda had only responded to the aspirations of the Sikhs from his state who, for years, had been demanding their right to manage their shrines. This demand had nothing to do with the Congress.

“Mr Badal had been advocating federal set up for years and now he himself is objecting the autonomy sought by the Haryana Sikhs in this case. It is clear Mr Badal has never been sincere to any of the demand of his party. Now he is blaming Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Hooda for this so called interference in the religious demands of the Sikhs. He deliberately overlooks the fact that it is the demand voiced by the Sikhs in Haryana”, he added.

He pointed out it was strange that Mr Badal was blaming the Congress for interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs while he himself met the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi and several of his cabinet colleagues seeking their intervention in Haryana which again amounts to centre’s interference in the religious affairs of the Haryana Sikhs. It was the Akali Dal which had launched agitation to get a separate gurdwara`act for Delhi which resulted in the formation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. The Sikhs in Haryana had followed their example. Moreover, this had been provided for under Section 72 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966.

He expressed surprise that it was for the first time that the Akali Dal would launch a morcha against the Sikhs themselves in the neighbouring state. This morcha would not be just against the Haryana government and the Congress. This was the first time that the Akali agitation would trigger an internecine war within the community.

He said so far as the interference of the government in religious affairs of the Sikhs was concerned, the Akali Dal itself had sought it by first demanding the Sikh Gurdwara`Act, 1925 and then the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara`Act, 1971. Now in case the Sikhs in Haryana had sought their own body from the government, how could it be construed as religious interference, he asked.

He reiterated that Mr. Badal himself was responsible for this situation in which the Sikh community had landed by backtracking from the all India gurdwara legislation which had been the demand of his party for years.

He advised Mr. Badal to desist from putting Punjab on fire again.

He flayed the Modi government for directing Haryana governor to withdraw his consent to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara management Bill saying it was unconstitutional and and an infringement on the constitutional rights of the state. He said Mr. Modi was talking of cooperative federalism but this practice was just the opposite. This was not only unconstitutional but also unprecedented, he added.

Punjab agricultural summit has failed to produce results: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 17:

The Punjab Pradesh Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today slammed the state government for wasting public money on investment summits which had failed to give the desired results as no progress had so far been made on the MOUs signed during such publicity stunts.

In a statement, Mr. Bajwa said the Parkash Singh Badal government and his party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, had only been exploiting the farmers as vote bank while ignoring their interests.

Substantiating his attack on the basis of replies to series of RTI applications filed by the PPCC RTI Cell Chairman Dr. Jasdeepak Singh, Mr. Bajwa said the state of affairs as reflected in these replies was shocking. What was all the more shocking was all the more serious was the non-replies by some of the departments associated with the agriculture sector.

He said as per the RTI reply obtained from Information & Public Relations department, the state government spent more than 34 lac on publicity on agriculture summit conducted in February this year.

Mr Bajwa stated that RTI replies revealed that total of only 9 MOU’s were signed during the summit and those too were merely based on “ EXPRESSION OF INTEREST” and talked of proposed investment only . One of the MOU’s signed with the MD group which claimed to be memorandum of commitment had not proposed the amount of investment or employment potential. It did not refer to any time limit whatsoever . Other MoU’s talk of proposed investment of Rs 2385 cr and potential employment of 17700 .

The PPCC chief said that another RTI reply sought from Punjab Bureau Of Investment Promotion regarding physical progress of these MOU’s stated that the government had nothing to say on this . The replies stated that the physical progress of these MOU’s may be considered as nil. The office of Managing Director , Punjab Agro Industries had not replied at all .

Mr Bajwa said that total 40580 delegates attended the agriculture summit from all over Punjab as disclosed in the RTI reply and 961 buses deployed by the government to transport them to the summit. The RTI query did not receive any response. The total number of panelists were 138, the number of delegates registered on spot with PAIC were 6130 with 211 delegates having been registered online .

As per Punjab Agro Industries Corporation, total of Rs 30.6 lac were spent on 3 days summit. The incurred by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industries had not included in this.

Mr Bajwa said the proposed Agricultural SEZs in Kandi and Attari areas had not materialized which had been promised in Akali Manifesto of the last Vidhan Sabha elections . The RTI reply given by Agriculture and also Horticulture departments stated that they had no information on these SEZs. Mr Bajwa asked the Badal government as to what had happened to this promise.

He pointed out that the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal had stated during agriculture summit that it was unfortunate that farmers were not making use of other subsidies, such as those on drip irrigation and solar energy panels . Mr Bajwa said that the bitter truth was that farmers faced undue delay and harassment even in procuring electricity connection . Citing an example he said , a farmer from Kambala tehsil of Mohali had to file series of RTI applications and could procure electricity connection only after a gap of 2 years.

The PCC chief stated that the real purpose of these summit had been diluted and these exercises had ended up as wasting public funds for political purposes by the ruling party without any tangible benefits to the state or the farmers.

S. Inderjit Singh Zira appointed as Chairman of Kisan & Khet Majdoor Cell of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee

Chandigarh 16.07.2014

S. Inderjit Singh Zira Former Minister and two time MLA was appointed as Chairman of Kisan & Khet Majdoor Cell of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee by S. Partap Singh bajwa President PPCC. During the occasion Dr. Shakeel Ahmad was specially present to install S. Zira in his new responsibility at Punjab Congress Bhawan, Sector-15, Chandigarh. Dr. Shakeel Ahmad said that Agriculture is the backbone of Economy of Punjab and we are proud that Punjab is the Food basket to the Nation. Thus, the responsibility on S. Zira is of paramount importance.

Speaking on the occasion, S. Partap Singh Bajwa said that S. Zira is a devoted Congress Leader and this responsibility has been given to him keeping in view his hard work and devoted loyalty to the party. S. Partap Singh Bajwa demanded that the Badal should get the MSP for Wheat and paddy as per Swaminathan report as was promised by Sh. Narender Modi before the elections.

During the occasion others who were present are S. Darshan Singh Brar, S. Chamkaur Singh President DCC Ferozepur, Sh. Vijay Kalra, Sh. Kuldeep Dhaliwal, Sh. Khushbaz Singh Jattana and Nachhatar Singh

Shakeel Ahmed rules out changes in PPCC or CLP leadership

Chandigarh, July 15:

The All India Congress Committee General Secretary and in-charge of Punjab affairs Dr. Shakeel Ahmed today ruled out changes in the state party or the Legislature Party leadership.

Talking to the media persons after addressing first meeting of the PPCC at the Congress Bhawan here after the Lok Sabha elections, he made it clear that the performance of the party in this state during the election was one of the best in the country. He expressed the confidence that the Congress Party would return to power in Punjab in the 2017 Assembly elections.

He slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the centre saying it had been formed with just 31 per cent of the votes in its kitty while 69 per cent of the people had rejected that party.

He announced that the Punjab Congress would stage massive protest dharnas at all the district headquarters on July 23 against the utter failure of the state government on the electricity front as contrary to the tall claims of making Punjab power surplus, all sections including industry agriculture and domestic were suffering from long power cuts. He said this would be the first step to gear up the party and mobilise the people who have become victim of the Parkash Singh Badal government.

Addressing the meeting, the AICC Secretary Mr Harish Chaudhary said Punjab had turned into drug haven and the so called campaign launched against the druggists by the police was a sham. The law and order machinery had totally collapsed. Commenting upon the Narendra Modi government at the centre, he said it had miserably failed to usher the people towards the path of the dreamland that the party had repeatedly promised in the run up to the elections and was now talking of bitter pill which would have to be administered.

The state party chief Mr Partap Singh Bajwa focussed on the failures of the Badal government and total collapse of the administration along with rampant corruption at every level. He attacked the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, for singling out bureaucracy for corruption saying it flowed from top to bottom and not in the reverse order. He said the clean-up operation had to start from the highest level in the political leadership. In case the political rulers were honest and efficient, the bureaucracy would not dare to be corrupt. He said Mr. Badal had accepted his moral defeat in running the administration efficiently and in a corruption free manner. He said in case he was unable to reign in the administration, he must quit.

The Congress Legislature Party leader Mr Sunil Jakhar lambasted the Badal government for dismal failure on the power front. He said there was strong anti-government wave among the people who were totally fed up with the anti-people policies of the Akali Dal-BJP government. He gave a call to the party men to unite and throw this government out in the 2017 elections.

The party adopted three resolutions. The first resolution attacking the disappointing budget of the Modi government was moved by Mr Brahm Mohindra and seconded by Mr Rajinder Beri.

The resolution stated, “The much hyped and repeatedly promised roadmap to dreamland is missing in the very first budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. For Punjab, the budget is disgustingly disappointing. There is no reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-proclaimed economic mantra to overhaul the economy overnight in this one of the longest and ‘back-breaking’ budget speech during recent years. The new government miserably failed to digress from the path of development set by the UPA government under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh, thereby that is the only path to the development of the country. Harsh reality is always different from showing mirage to the people and the Modi government seems to have been lost and failed in giving any new policy direction. Narendra Modi was not noticed clapping his Finance Minister during his long narrative, as if he too was disappointed with his own government and its budget”.

The second resolution on political situation in Punjab was moved by Mr Harminder Singh Gill and seconded by Mr Jasbir Singh Gill. The resolution said, “During the last seven year rule the Akali Dal-BJP government headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal along with his Deputy Chief Minister son Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, has utterly failed to create employment opportunities to gainfully absorb this work force. In a way, Punjab is sitting on a social powder keg and the multi-dimensional crisis in the state is deepening every day with no solution in sight under the present dispensation. The people are losing faith in the ability of the system to deliver. It is corruption at every level which is eating into the vitals of administration turning the system non-functional”.

The third resolution moved by Mr Charanjit Singh Channi and seconded by Mr Surinder Pal Singh Sibia demanded drought relief to the farmers at the rate of Rs. 5000 per acre.

Those present included Mr Kuljit Singh Nagra Secretary AICC, Col. C.D. Singh Kamboj, Mr Kewal Singh Dhillon MLA, Mr Om Parkash Soni MLA , Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi MLA, Mr Randeep Singh Nabha MLA , Mr Sangat Singh Gilzian MLA and Mr Sardul Singh Bandala and Mr , Surinder Pal Singh Sibia, Vice Presidents, Mr Ajaib Singh Bhatti MLA, Mr Bharat Bhushan Ashu MLA , Mr Dhanna Ram Bhatti, Mr Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa, Mr Hans Raj Josan , Mr Harminder Singh Gill, Mr Harminder Singh Jassi , Mr Jasbir Singh Gill , Mrs Karan Kaur Brar MLA , Mrs Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha , Major Singh Bhaini , Mr Satnam Singh Kainth , Mr Gurkirat Singh Kotli MLA and Mr Sukhjinder Raj Singh Majithia (All General Secretaries) and Mr Raman Bhalla Treasurer PPCC.

The DCC presidents included Mr Rajiv Bhagat (Advocate) DCC (Amritsar Urban), Mr. Anil Vij DCC (Patahankot) , Mr Sham Sunder Arora MLA, DCC (Hoshiarpur) , Mr Dharampal Bangar, DCC (Nawanashahar) , Mr Navtej S Cheema MLA, DCC (Kapurthala), Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu MLA DCC (Mohali) , Mr Lakhvir Singh Lakha, DCC (Khanna) , Mr Paramjit Singh Maan, DCC (Barnala) , Mai Roop Kaur, DCC (Sangrur), Mr. Bikram Mofar, DCC (Mansa) , Mr Mohan Lal Aggarwal, DCC (Bathinda Urban) , Mr Gura Singh Tungwali, DCC (Bathinda Rural) , Mr Joginder S Panjgrain, MLA , DCC (Faridkot) , Mr Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, DCC (Tarn Taran) , Mr Gurmeet Singh Khudian , DCC (Muktsar) ,Mr Darshan Singh Brar, DCC (Moga) , Mr Koshal Kumar, DCC (Fazilka) , Mr Harbhag Singh Saini , DCC (Ropar) , Mr Chamkaur Singh, DCC (Ferozepur) , Mr Rajinder Berry, DCC (Jalandhar Urban) and, Mr Harinder Singh Bhambri, DCC (Fatehgarh Sahib),

About 31 secretaries and heads of frontal organizations were also present.

Advocate Swaich appointed Spokesperson (Legal) for Punjab Congress

Chandigar 17 July

S. Surjit Singh Swaich was appointed as Spokesperson (Legal) of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee by S. Partap Singh Bajwa President PPCC. Sh. Swaich is distinguished advocate and has been associated with Congress Party for long time. During the lok sabha election, he was Chairman of the Election Legal Committee and also incharge of Control room for the legal issues in the headquarters of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He also extensively coordinated with Election Commission regarding the numerous complaints received from across the state from the parliamentary constituencies.

Sh. Swaich assured the PPCC President that he would strive hard to strengthen the party and thanked him for the confidence posed in him for this responsibility.

Punjab budget listless, lackluster and betrayal with people: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 16:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today described the budget presented in the state Assembly today as lacklustre, listless and betrayal with the people. He said the Finance Minister, Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, seemed to have resorted to accountancy rather than coming out with a cohesive approach to the state economy.

Reacting strongly to the absence of the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal from the Assembly at the time of presentation of budget, he said it was simply unprecedented and reflected the importance given to this exercise by him. It seemed Mr Badal was concerned more with other issues for the reasons best known to him rather than the future of the state of which he was the Chief Minister as budget amounted to the policy statement of the government on political economy.

Mr Bajwa said it was interesting that the government had itself admitted that the budget size of Rs. 73,593 crore was illusory as the effective size was just Rs. 58,593 crore due to provision of Rs. 15,000 crore towards ways and means transactions.

The PPCC chief asked the government to come out with the details of resource mobilisation which was missing in the budget speech. In the absence of resource mobilisation, it was just a meaningless exercise. He took the government to task for the unimplemented promises with particular reference to laptops for students and said the government had given a quiet burial to this scheme as there was no provision for the same in the budget.

He came down heavily on the government for the burgeoning debt which is estimated to go up to Rs. 1,13,053 crore by the end of this financial year. What was all the more shocking was that the interest payment had taken over the repayment of loan. As per the budget speech, the total debt servicing expenditure for 2012-13 was Rs. 10,505 crore consisting of interest payment of Rs. 6831 crore and repayment of loan at Rs. 3,674 crore. This was a pointer to the direction the economy was heading.

“The budget lacks policy direction or any indication of the seriousness of the government to take care of the deepening financial crisis whose effects are going to be multi-dimensional. This land of seers, sages and Gurus has already turned into the land of addicts. The budget lacks in any vision and his is a hopeless exercise”, he added.

He said the state government had taken great care to “print the speech without any content and colour as a colourful booklet”, as if the pictures on every page would hide the lacklustre side of the budget. The government was known for fudging figures but here, the effort had been to go a step ahead by trying to hide the non-performance and inefficiency with colourful pictures. He said the people were not concerned as to how beautifully the speech had been printed but about what was there for them in the speech and in this case, it was just empty, he said.

Bajwa convenes PPCC meeting at Congress Bhawan on July 15

Chandigarh, July 14:

The meeting of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has been convened here on Tuesday, July 15 at the Congress Bhawan at 11.00 AM.

Disclosing this here today, the state party chief Mr Partap Singh Bajwa said the meeting would be attended by the AICC General Secretary Dr Shakeel Ahmed, the party Secretary Mr Harish Chaudhary and the CLP Leader Mr Sunil Jakhar.

He said the meeting would discuss the impact of the Union Budget on Punjab, the political situation in the state, the shoddy & sham drive of the State Government against drugs, the situation arising out of severe drought adversely affecting paddy crop & grim power supply and CM Punjab’s open admission that the bureaucrats are not in his control & his allegation that they are busy collecting money, clearly showing his total loss of administrative control.

He said the meeting would chalk out plans to gear up the party. The people in the state were fed up with the tyrannical Akali Dal-BJP government. This was the high time to go into action and articulate the concerns of the people and fight for the issues concerning them, he added.

Bajwa demands one rank one pay for para-military forces

Chandigarh, July 11:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, has demanded the implementation of one-rank-one-pay formula for the retired officials from the para-military forces also.

While welcoming the allocation of Rs. 1000 crore under OROP for the ex-servicemen in the budget announced by the Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley yesterday, he said it was appreciable that the present government had carried forward the decision taken to this effect by the previous UPA government. At the same time, he was of the view that this allocation should be hiked to Rs. 3000 crore.

Pleading the case of the para-miltary forces, Mr. Bajwa said the men and women from the para-military forces have to work under adverse circumstances, including guarding the international borders. It is the para-military forces which have to deal with the internal strife.

He said in the fight against red terrorism in central India and ultras in North-East and Kashmir, the role of these forces had been commendable and these men had made a lot of sacrifices in maintaining nation’s unity and integrity. It was high time that their contribution and sacrifices were accorded due recognition.

The PPCC chief proposed that one way to reward their services was to bring them at par with the defence services in the matter of post- retirement benefits. It would be highly appropriate in case the same scheme was made applicable to them also.

He pointed out that during the election campaign, the BJP had been contesting the very fact about the scheme having been approved by the UPA government. He said had now it had been proved with the allocation under OROP head that this scheme had already been operationalized and hence the budgetary allocation.

He remarked that the UPA had taken care of the defence forces and now the NDA government should extend this scheme to the para-military forces in the broader interest of the nation.

Online lottery will be ruinous for people: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 5:

Opposing the proposal of the Punjab government to revive the24X7 online lottery, the Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, warned that it would prove to be ruinous for the people.

“I would like to point out that the state government had to ban single digit lottery for this very reason and the online lottery would prove to be more disastrous for the people. This lottery is against the very concept of a welfare state”, he commented in a statement.

He recalled the same arguments of curbing satta and other such activities was extended while introducing single digit lottery. Ultimately it had to be withdrawn by almost every state.

Mr Bajwa reminded the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, that Punjab was the sacred land of Sikh Gurus, saints and sages and it was on this land that they proposed to start gambling. Earlier, they had converted Punjab into the land of the addicts. Majority of youth in the state were hooked to one drug or the other which were smuggled under politician-police nexus. Now the move had been initiated to take this ruinous to yet another dangerous level by turning Punjabis the gamblers. “What a great footprint you people are leaving on this sacred land”, he said.

Badal either ignorant or befooling the people on SGPC Act: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 3:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today challenged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal saying he was either too naive or deliberately befooling the people by extending the logic that the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 which governs the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, was an act of Parliament and hence, the Haryana government could not tinker with it.

“For the information of Mr. Badal, this legislation was enacted by the Punjab Assembly, then in Lahore and this Act is available on the web site of the Lahore Assembly. Its sub-title is Punjab Act VIII of 1925. It is the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act which was adopted by the Parliament”, he asserted.

He said it was hard to believe that Mr. Badal, who was now the fifth time Chief Minister and had started his political career with the SGPC, would not know the origin of the Act under which the SGPC acquired statutory status. It was this body which had been playing a leading role in the religio-political affairs of the Sikhs over the years and the Akali Dal, created by it, used to be subservient to this body till the role reversal when Mr. Badal started dominating the Akali affairs.

He challenged the statement given by Mr. Badal yesterday in Mohali that the SGPC had come into existence by an Act of Parliament and hence Haryana had no right to bifurcate it. He also questioned Mr Badal on his criticism of the demand for a separate Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee demanded by the Sikhs in that state saying it was not the conspiracy of the Congress but the party was only respecting the aspirations of the community in that state. He contended the Sikhs in Haryana had every right to manage their religious affairs and the shrines and the demand was in consonance with the demand for autonomy raised by the Akali Dal from time to time, including by Mr. Badal even now.

He also advised Mr. Badal to carefully read the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966 under which the SGPC acquired the status of inter-state body corporate. He pointed out it was this provision in the Re-organisation Act which empowered the Parliament to make any change in the Sikh Gurdwara Act and hold elections to this body.

He called upon Mr. Badal to stop misleading and misinforming the people on such sensitive issues as Punjab had already paid a very heavy cost due to such statements and actions of his. He lambasted the Chief Minister for inflaming the passions of the Sikhs in Punjab by misleading them. In case he was really ignorant, he should admit it.

He alleged the SGPC chief, Mr. Avtar Singh Makkar, was a stooge in the hands of the Badal family who could not function independently. It was through him that the Badal family was controlling all the supreme Sikh institutions which was highly reprehensible as these institutions did not belong to just the Sikhs in the Akali Dal but the institution like Akal Takht had the global reach. He warned Mr. Badal against misusing these institutions for his vested political interests.

Bajwa strongly counters Sukhbir’s allegation of Congress being anti-Sikh

Chandigarh, July 5:

Challenging the contention that the role of the Congress continued to be anti-Sikh, the state Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, reminded the Shiromani Akali Dal President and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, that it was the Congress which provided space to Dr. Manmohan Singh to be elevated to the highest executive office of the Prime Minister of the country and that too for two terms. On the other hand, it was the Akali Dal which was trying to crush the aspirations of the Sikhs in Haryana on the issue of the separate gurdwara management committee for that state which was their right in every sense of the term.

He said on the other hand under the Narendra Modi government, the only Sikh minister in the cabinet was from the Akali Dal and that too from the Badal family.

“Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal is forgetting that his father, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, entered the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for the first time in 1957 on the Congress ticket. He himself is married in the Majithia family and his sister Mrs. Parneet Kaur in the famous Kairon family, both of which are the traditional Congress families of Majha whose present generation has converted to Akali Dal and that too because of family ties. In case the Congress is anti-Sikh, how come that his father opted for the traditional Congress families to marry on son and daughter”, he asked. He said Mr. Sukhbir Badal should stop misleading the people with such propaganda as one should preach only that which one follows. There could not be two standards.

Extending unequivocal support to the Haryana Sikhs who are demanding separate Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the shrines in that state, he pointed out that it was the Akali Dal which was responsible for the enactment of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966 and according to Section 72 of this Act, the demand for separate gurdwara panel was legal and thus justified. The demand was not the brainchild of the Congress but result of the discrimination meted out to the Haryana Sikhs by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

He held the Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and the Shiromani Akali Dal chief responsible for reducing the SGPC which had come into existence after great sacrifices by the Sikhs, including from the region that is now part of Haryana, to its present level of ad hoc committee. He said Mr. Avtar Singh Makkar was only its caretaker President.

“The legal luminaries have made it clear that the Haryana government is fully within its jurisdiction to enact this legislation under Section 72 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act. So far as the allegations against the Congress of dividing the Sikhs, it is the Akali Dal which is directly responsible for it as it resulted from the demand of this party for a Sikh dominated state where they could form the government”, he remarked.

He commented that even the Akali stalwarts like Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra had been blaming Mr. Badal for the denigration of the supreme Sikh institutions for vested political interests and advised him to read recent history to update himself.

He reiterated that it was the Congress which had been according due respect to all the minorities in the country rather than throttling their aspirations and on the contrary, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party, the alliance partner of the Akali Dal, which had the image of being anti-minorities and this character of the party was also reflected in the Lok Sabha.

Bajwa condemns withdrawal of security at Congress Bhawan

Chandigarh, July 3:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today strongly condemned the withdrawal of security by the state government at the Congress Bhawan, the party headquarters in Chandigarh.

The security deployment has been reduced from 12 persons, including a woman constable, to just four persons. Even the security scanner has been removed.

“This action of the state government is just incomprehensible. This has compromised the security of our headquarters. Who would be responsible if any untoward incident happens as the party headquarter is also visited by large number of people”, he asked.

He said already, the law and order situation in Punjab had been deteriorating, mainly due to political patronage to the anti-social elements.

He demanded that the state government must reverse this politically motivated decision which smacked of vendetta politics.

“While the Akali leaders at various levels had compromised with the terrorists, it is the Congress which put up a valiant fight and this is the reason that the party had been provided security”, he pointed out.

Bajwa joins agitation by dalits in Balad Kalan

Chandigarh, July 2:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today joined the dharna being organised by the dalits in Balad kalan village in Sangrur districts who are fighting for their rights over the panchayat land.

He was accompanied by the dalit leader Chaudhary Santokh Singh, MP from Jalandhar and Sangrur leaders including Mr Vijay Inder Singla Ex MP, Mr Surinder Pal Singh Sibia Ex MLA, Mai Roop Kaur President District Congress Committee Sangrur, Sh. Paramjit Singh Mann President District Congress Committee Barnala and Sh. Rajinder Raja Secretary PPCC.

Mr Bajwa said the dalits had been agitating for the last several days over the fraudulent auction of panchayat land reserved for them. they have been demanding that the auction should be organised by lowing the reserve price arguing that the one fixed by the panchayat was too high. In the process, three dalit members of the panchayat had resigned. The police had arrested 41 agitating members from the dalit community. He also strongly condemned the police lathicharge on the agitating dalits in which even a woman of about 80 was injured along with several others. She was discharged from the hospital without providing her proper treatment. She also joined the dharna today and narrated her woes to the PPCC chief.

Demanding immediate withdrawal of cases against dalits and acceptance of their demand for lowering the reserve price for the auction of 478 bighas of land reserved for them in the village, he termed the lathicharge as unprovoked.

He said the Congress had always articulated the concerns of the dalits historically and the party in Punjab would continue to plead their cause vociferously at every level. He said the Akali Dal had always betrayed the weaker sections and had only been concerned with getting their votes. He asserted it was the Congress which was fully committed to their uplift.

He said the dalits at several places had been agitating against the policies of this government and the Congress would take up their issues at the state level. He said the Akali Dal-BJP government had been ignoring dalits as evident from the lackadaisical implementation of the schemes meant for their welfare which also included scholarships for the dalit students. He said grants under the shagun scheme for dalit girls had not been paid for months.

The PPCC chief said the Congress in Punjab would always be in the forefront so far as the issues concerning the dalits were concerned.

He demanded that the panchayat land reserved for the dalits in every village should be auctioned in a transparent manner and at affordable reserve price and as per law 1/3 rd land is to be reserved for SCs. He alleged in most of the cases, such auctions were benami and this practice must stop.

He also visited the Sangrur Jail to meet the 41 dalit of Balad Kalan Village who have been retained by police.

Haryana Gurdwara panel flows from Reorganisation Act: Bajwa

Chandigarh, July 1:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today trashed the argument extended by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President, Mr. Avtar Singh Makkar that the demand for a separate Haryana Gurdwara management committee was illegal.

In a statement, he advised Mr. Makkar to read carefully Section 72 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966 under which Haryana had been created to meet the Akali Dal demand of a Punjabi speaking state from which this demand flows.

The Section 72(1) states: “ Save as otherwise expressly provided by the foregoing provisions of this Part, where any body corporate constituted under a Central Act, State Act or Provincial Act for the existing State of Punjab or any part thereof serves the needs of the successor States or has, by virtue of the provisions of Part II, become an inter-State body corporate, then, the body corporate shall, on and from the appointed day, continue to function and operate in those areas in respect of which it was functioning and operating immediately before that day, subject to such directions as may from time to time be issued by the Central Government, until other provisions is made by law in respect of the said body corporate”.

He said Section 72(3) had made it very clear that this provision was applicable to the “Board constituted under Part III of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 (Punjab Act 8 of 1925)”.

The PPCC chief reminded Mr. Makkar that neither the Akali Dal nor the SGPC had objected when 30 seats in the general house of the SGPC were reserved for women by creating double seats through an executive order whereas the resolution for this purpose should first have been adopted by the general house of this body and the recommendation sent to the centre for implementation in accordance with the provisions of the Master Tara Singh-Nehru Pact. He said such provisions were added to the functioning of this body on several occasion by adopting the same procedure. As per the procedure laid down, 30 seats should have been reserved by amending the Sikh Gurdwara Act in the Parliament. He said this power vested with the Parliament after the SGPC become body corporate with jurisdiction in three states although it had been created by an Act of the Punjab Assembly.

He said moreover, the demand for a separate Gurdwara for their states had been made by the Sikhs in Haryana and it had nothing to do with the Congress. This demand stemmed from the discrimination meted out to the community in the neighbouring states who have developed the perception that they were being discriminated against by way of not giving them adequate role in the management of the shrines in that state.

“The Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and Mr. Makkar must share the blame for the situation which would not have arisen in case they had got enacted the All India Gurdwara legislation which had been the long pending demand of the Akali Dal. Would they like to tell the Sikhs as to what happened to the two drafts of this proposed legislation, the latest dating back to 2000, which were sent by the Home ministry for comments?”, he asked. He charged Mr. Badal with backtracking from this demand as the all India Gurdwara committee would have ended the monopoly of the Akali Dal on the religio-political affairs of the Sikhs. He said the hue and cry being raised by Mr. badal and Mr. Makkar was politically motivated. Haryana Sikhs must get their rights, he added.

Case against Sonia, Rahul out of political vendetta: Bajwa

Chandigarh, June 27:

The Punjab Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the case filed against the party President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and the Vice-president, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, by the BJP leader, Mr. Subranian Swamy, was the product of a sick mind driven by political vendetta.

On the third day of his visit to the Bathinda Parliamentary constituency to thank the voters for overwhelming support to the party during the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Bajwa said the ruling BJP had started showing its true colours within weeks after coming into power by targeting the Congress President and the Vice-president. Mr. Swamy, a known blackmailer, had been used as an instrument by the ruling party in its nefarious design to unnecessarily harass and malign these leaders whose public life is an example of spotless and clean politics.

Mr. Bajwa said the vendetta politics unleashed by the ruling party as exemplified by this case would set an unhealthy trend in the Indian polity which would have far reaching consequences. The case was totally baseless and unfounded. Mr. Swamy was known for personal motivated campaign against the Congress and the Gandhi family. He pointed out that earlier, the RSS had launched pointed campaign against Mrs. Gandhi to tarnish her but such attacks got blunted as she set extreme example of sacrifice and self-negation in the interests of the country. She was a leader who had always put the country first rather than the vested interests and this type of self-less politics was unpalatable to the Sangh Parivar, he added.

Mr. Bajwa today visited Sangat Mandi to meet the party workers to mobilise them for the next challenge in Talwandi Sabo where Assembly bye-elecion is to be held. He said Sangat Mandi was the worst example of the so called development model of the Badal government where despite spending a whopping Rs. 15 crore for sewerage works, the situation had turned from bad to worse.

Hundreds of people met the state Congress chief to complain about the situation in the Mandi. The standing water had started stinking turning the life of the residents into hell. He called upon the people to teach a lesson to this government in the bye-election. He said the Badal family had never been committed to the welfare of the people but all its actions had been motivated by political interests. He said the campaign started by the people against this family during the Lok Sabha election in this constituency must now be taken to its logical conclusion by defeating the Akali Dal candidate in Talwandi Sabo.

Those present included the Harminder Singh Jassi, Ex-MLA, S. Inderjit Singh Zira Ex-Minister, Gura Singh Tungwali, President, DCC Bathinda Rural, Gurmeet Singh Khudian President, DCC Bathinda Rural, Khushbaz Singh Jatana, Youth Congress President Lok Sabha Bathinda, Lakhwinder Singh Lucky, District President NSUI, Gurnaib Singh, Youth Congress President Assembly Constituency Bhucho Mandi, Babli Dhillon Secretary PPCC, Bhupinder Gora Secretary PPCC, Sandeep Bhullar, General Secretary Bathinda Youth Congress

Sukhbir’s hollow claims on conducive industrial climate exposed: Bajwa

Chandigarh, May 30:

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today lambasted the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, for making exaggerated claims about attracting huge investment in the state at the time when multinational company like Dell had decided to wind up its operation in Mohali. He said the government had miserably failed to create investment confidence and the necessary infrastructure for the industrial growth of this border state.

In a statement issued here today, the PPCC chief said the Deputy Chief Minister had organised the mega investment summit only a few months back projecting it as a new beginning in the industrial development of the state. However, Sukhbir’s mega claims seemed to have been lost in the pot holes of the Parkash Singh Badal government.

He said what to talk of the new investment, even the existing units were closing down and the Dell was the latest in this series. He pointed out more than 18,000 industrial units had been shut down during the last few years and the only business establishments in the state making super profits were those owned by Sukhbir himself who had his hands in every pie, from road transport to aviation.

He said the fact that about 1400 industrial plots were lying vacant in the Mohali industrial area was a sad commentary on the state of affairs in the state which totally exposed the hyperbolic claims of the Deputy Chief Minister. It was clear that he was only interested in remaining in headlines without achieving anything tangible for the state. He said one should visit what once used to be the steel town, Mandi Gobindgarh where the chimneys had stopped belching out smoke. Similar was the situation in Batala.

Mr. Bajwa said the road to industrial progress in this border state was too bumpy in the absence of the requisite infrastructure like good roads and adequate power supply. It was not that only the roads were potholed, even the Badal government had become potholed, far removed from the ground reality where the things just don’t move.

He pointed out that Punjab missed the IT bus earlier and all belated attempts to attract investment had failed as some of the projects had even failed to take off. The state government had been blaming the industrial concessions given to the neighbouring state for the capital flight and a big hurdle in inviting fresh investment.

“These concessions were given by the NDA government in which the Akali Dal was the partner. Now the NDA has returned to power in which the Akali Dal is again a partner. Now is the time for the Akali Dal to get that decision reversed or get the same for Punjab”, he added.

Mr. Bajwa said henceforth, Mr. Sukhbir Badal should stop making bloated claims as he could not befool the people for all the times.

Punjab Congress leaders question Singla’s credentials

Bathinda, May 29:

The Punjab Congress leaders today questioned the credentials of the former finance minister, Mr. Surinder Singla, saying he was in league with the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, and hence had defended the induction of Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the cabinet by the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, who throughout his campaign, had been attacking the Congress on dynastic politics.

In a statement issued here S. Gura Singh Tungwali President Distt. Congress Committee Bathinda Rural, Mohan Lal Aggarwal President Distt. Congress Committee Bathinda Urban, S. Harminder Singh Jassi Ex-MLA, Kushbaz Singh Jatana and Raj Kumar Lambardar pointed out that Mr. Singla’s name had surfaced in the Ludhiana City centre case in which the former chief minister, Capt. Amarinder Singh was the accused. However, he managed to save himself by arriving at a tacit understanding with Mr. Badal. They said this had now been proved beyond doubt from the praises he had showered on Mrs. Badal. He should now stop camouflaging himself as he had shown his true colours, they added.

These leaders pointed out it was as part of this understanding that his aide Mr. Anil Bhola joined the Akali Dal before the Lok Sabha election to support Mrs. Badal. They said as such, Mr. Singla had no moral authority to criticise the state party chief, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, who had only reminded Mr. Modi of his stand on dynastic politics from which he had backtracked and had been giving a relentless fight to the Badals by mobilising party rank and file. They said it was this sabotage from within by such leaders as reflected in factionalism which had harmed the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.

They said it was strange that Mr. Singla had joined issues with the state Congress chief rather than targeting the Akali Dal. They said it was ironic that the leaders like Mr. Singla continued to weaken the Congress and failed to draw lessons from the damaged caused to the party by this opportunism and factionalism. They said such leaders must tell the people on whose side they were as all their statements were benefitting only the Akali Dal, the party which was faced with the anger from the people and against which the Congress was fighting

The Punjab Congress today castigated the Akali Dal-BJP political rulers in the state for having virtually no control over bureaucracy as it was not just the field officers who play truant but the situation was no different at the district headquarters where a surprise check has shocked the people. He said it was the misrule, mismanagement and lust for wealth of the political leadership itself which was to be blamed for the situation in which the sufferer was the common man.

In a statement issued here, party General Secretary Rajanbir Singh said it was the Chief Minister’s Office which had reported that 18 of the 22 deputy commissioners and 22 of the 24 district police chiefs were found absent from their offices when surprise calls were made.

“The bureaucracy in the state is known for being callous having utter disregard for the rules and regulations governing their functioning. However, it is the political leadership which is responsible for the mess as it has not only just failed to reign in those responsible for running the administration but the situation had gone out of control due to the misuse of bureaucracy for political purposes”, he said.

Rajanbir said the common people were a harassed lot, especially in the field as it was just impossible to meet the officers at the level of the district administration. Of course, these very people functioned as the tools in the hands of some powerful rulers like Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who prefers to function from his residence, in Chandigarh or in Delhi.

He recalled there was the time when the chief minister would be almost regular to the office. Now the second floor of the Punjab civil secretary housing the offices of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister was always deserted. On any single day, very few ministers could be seen in the offices.

“The agenda of the ruling family is different and that is the multiplication of the family’s wealth which is also reflected even in the details provided during successive elections while filing nominations. Sujkhbir, during the last tenure of the Badal government, tried to give the impression that its top priority was administrative reforms to provide relief to the people and end corruption at the cutting edge of the administration. However, nothing has changed and the Deputy Chief Minister has just forgotten that agenda”, he added.

The PPCC General Secretary said Punjab administration needed total overhaul and changes in the style of governance in consonance with the changing times and technology but the problem here was that despite the so called corporate outlook of the political rulers, the functioning continued to be feudal. The agenda was multiplying wealth as is evident from rampant illegal drug trade and unhindered operations of sand mafia etc with active participation of civil and police officers, rather than serving the people, he said.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today demanded strict action as per the religious code of conduct against the Revenue Minister, Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, for distorting the hymn of Guru Gobind Singh at a rally at Majitha yesterday.

He appealed to the Akali Takht jathedar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, to summon Mr. Majithia at Akal Takht and take action as per the religious code of conduct. He said there was no need even for a proof as Mr. Majithia had himself admitted this distortion.

He said nothing could be more sacrilegious than this action of the Revenue Minister by adding the name of the BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha election, Mr. Arun Jaitley, in the last line of the shabad ‘Deh Shiva Var Mohe’. He had diostorted it as ‘Arun Jaitley kee jeet karon’.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate, Mr. Narendra Modi, had once again ditched his alliance partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal, by ignoring the plight of the Sikh farmers in the Kutch area of his state who were facing eviction orders.

Mr. Bajwa said at his Jagraon rally during his last visit to Punjab, he had categorically assured that no farmer from his state would be allowed to be evicted but he had so far failed to take any follow up action. The basic issue in this case was the withdrawal of the special leave petition filed in the Supreme Court by the Gujarat government against the orders of the state high court which had granted relief to these beleaguered farmers settled there for the last about 50 years.

He castigated the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, for maintaining a stony silence on this issue. He said it was strange that Mr. Badal and his party were seeking votes in the names of Mr. Modi but had not touched upon any issue concerning this border state.

“The impression of Mr. Modi being anti-minorities has been further reinforced from his speech at Pathankot today in which he totally ignored the plight of the Gujarat Sikh farmers who have not been extended any relief as that is only possible in case the Modi government withdraws the SLP from the Supreme Court”, he added.

Mr. Bajwa said the problem with Mr. Badal was that he was more interested in safeguarding the interests of his family at the cost of Punjab and in this case, he was unconditionally supporting Mr. Modi as he was bargaining for the induction of his daughter-in-law Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal in case she gets elected from Bathinda and NDA replaces the UPA at the centre. He said the Chief Minister was living in illusion as there was no chance of the NDA coming into power and the BJP had no base in large part of the country. Moreover, the Akali Dal was facing the strongest wave of anti-incumbency in Bathinda. He said all the calculations of Mr. Badal and his son and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, would go awry in this election.

He said during the last Lok Sabha election, both father and the son had devoted the maximum time to Bathinda but this time, Mr. Badal had visited the constituency of his daughter-in-law only once as he had gauged the mood of the people.

Mr. Bajwa said there was little chance of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab retaining its score of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections as the people were angry and they wanted to teach a lesson to the rulers.

He said visit of Mr. Modi would fail to have any impact on the situation in the backdrop of the aggressive mood of the people who had been feeling insulted and humiliated at the hands of the ruling alliance leaders.

He said Mr. Modi talked of narco-terrorism from across the border but fail to mention the fact that what was consumed by the youth in Punjab was being produced within the state itself under the very protection of the ruling party leaders. He said drug racket amounting to about Rs. 5000 crore had surfaced after the arrest of former cop Jagdish Bhola. Mr. Modi just could not blame the so called laxity on the border as the ever vigilant Border Security Force had been making large seizures of heroine. The names of several Akali ministers were being mentioned in this regard, he added.

Social indices shatter myth of progress, Akali Dal-BJP government has failed on main indicators: Bajwa

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the myth of so called development in Punjab under the Akali Dal-BJP government stood shattered by the social indices which are barometer of progress made by a state.

Mr. Bajwa, the Congress candidate from Gurdaspur seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha, questioned his opponent from the Akali Dal supported BJP candidate Mr. Vinod Khanna, who earlier represented this constituency for three consecutive terms saying he must explain poor performance of his government on such issues like school dropout rate, closure of industries and unemployment, especially with reference to Gurdaspur district.

He said as per the information obtained under the RTI Act by Dr. Jasdeepak Singh, the number of unemployed on the live register of Gurdaspur employment exchange was 8425 in 2005 which rose to 8741 the next year. The figure in 2012 was 5789. He said Pathankot district was carved out of Gurdaspur district.

Similarly, only 36 persons got employment in 2004 as per the record of the Gurdaspur employment exchange. This figure was a dismal 26 for the year 2012 and 29 for 2013. It was only in 2011 that 151 unemployed persons on the live register of employment exchange were provided jobs. He said the situation was just the worst. The incidence of unemployment was many times more than what was on the record of the employment exchanges in the state.

He referred to the school dropout rate saying the figures in some of the districts were shocking. It was 8.49 per cent in 2010-11, 8.6 per cent in 2011-12 and 5.19 per cent in 2012-13 in case of Gurdaspur district. He said the situation in the Muktsar district, to which the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal belonged, was the worst with the highest dropout rate of13.97 in 2010-11 and 9.75 per in 2013-14. Similarly in Bathinda represented by the all power MP Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, it was 13.02 per cent in 2010-11.

He said Mr. Khanna should also explain as to why such a large number of industrial units were shutting down in the state adding to the army of unemployed. He said in Batala alone, once a flourishing industrial town, a total of 1864 units had closed down since 2007. The situation was alarming as the figure for the entire state crossed 18,000 units. He said Amritsar represented the worst scenario in the state where the number of such units was the highest at 8053.

He said after having been defeated in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Khanna never cared to remain connected to the people whom he had represented and got even one project sanctioned despite the fact that the Akali Dal-BJP government had been in in the state since 2007.

“People have a right to ask as to where he was all these years and had now appeared again only after having been fielded by the party which could not find a suitable local candidate”, he added.

The PPCC chief ridiculed Mr. Khanna for paying only flying visits, literally, to the constituency when he was the MP as he had nothing in common with this area. He said the voters would once again reject him as the mood of the people was strongly against the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state.

Bajwa toured Nangal Bhoor in Pathankot, held roadshow in Sujjanpur, campaigned in Ranipur and Shahpur kandi.

Raman Bhalla Ex Minister,Anil Vij DCC President, Viney Mahajan, Naresh Puri,Ashok Sharma, Anil Dara, Rana Randhawa, D.R. Passi Ex Block President, Ravi, Dr. Palli, Kapil Sharma President, Tirlok Raj Bawa, Bharat Bhusan, Raj Kumar Sharma, Ladi, Tarsem Singh Pathan, Rajinder, Des Raj, Dr. tek Chand, Asha Sharma, Parkash Chand Pardhan, Ram Saroop, Joginder pal, Randhir Bitta, Naresh Kumar, Sarpanch Rajinder Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Kamalpreet Kaur Ex Sarpanch,

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today questioned the hyperbolic claims of the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, about the state turning power surplus after the inauguration of the three new thermal plants in the state.

Mr. Bajwa, who is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur seat, was addressing workers meeting at Batala which was attended by Mr. Ashwani Sekhri and his supporters. Mr. Sekhri assured Mr. Bajwa that he would ensure better lead for him than the last election from the Batala Assembly segment which he represents.

Thanking Mr. Sekhri, Mr. Bajwa said the honour of Majha was at stake and the issues involved in this election were bigger. “We have to work hard to win each and every seat to strengthen the hands of the party President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the vice-president, Mr. Rahul Gandhi”, he added.

Addressing the party workers, Mr. Bajwa said the state government had inaugurated three thermal plants in the state in the last three months including at Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura but none of them was generating power at the commercial level. The inaugurations had just been done to cash upon in the Lok Sabha elections but the people had now seen through the designs and they could not be misled.

He asserted the Badal government has met with utter failure on all fronts, the latest example being the investment summit which had failed to generate even a single paisa of investment despite projecting the claims of Rs. 65,000 crore investment. He said the industrial sector was in deep crisis with about 18770 units having shut down during the last few years.

Referring to the promises made by the Akali Dal in its manifesto in the last Assembly election, the PPCC chief said a lot of emphasis was laid on social security measures. Some of the pensions like old age pensions were to be doubled as part of the manifesto. However, what to talk of doubling the amount, even the pensions for the last six months had not been cleared. The people could not be misled all the times. Such promises and claims had fallen flat because the ruling party was neither committed not sincere about the welfare of the people.

“The ruling alliance leaders have just one agenda and it is self-welfare. The people are remembered only during the elections”, he added. It was the business of the ruling family that had multiplied.

He dwelt at length on the welfare schemes undertaken by the UPA government which had benefitted the common man. The number of days under which work is to be provided under MNREGA had been hiked from 100 to 150. The Right to Information Act was a major step in making the governance transparent and a check on corruption. It was the UPA government which had enacted Food Security and Right to Education legislations. None would sleep hungry in this vast country. He said in Punjab, the Akali Dal-BJP government was exploiting this scheme as its own. He said similarly, the government would take care of health of the people under the Right to Health scheme.

Other Congress leaders from Batala who participated in the meeting were S. Buta Singh Bajwa Malikpur, S. Sukhwinder Singh Kahlon Sherpur, Kashmir Singh Member Wadala, Gian Singh Pardhan Wadala, Tarlochan Singh Dhanne, Harbhajan Singh Ex-Sarpanch Qila Tek Singh, Pritam Singh Korewala, Manjit Singh President BCC Batala Rural, Manjit Singh Lambardar Cheeme, Rajinder Singh, Gulzar Singh Ex-Sarpanch Kaler Kalan, Joginder Singh Advocate Kaler, Tehal Singh, Dalbir Singh Tatla, Baldev Singh, Amrik Singh, Sabi Gonspur, Sabi Thekedar Batala, Gurdial Singh, Bishan Singh, Darbara Singh, Kartar Chand, Nishan Singh, Tarlochan Singh, Khokhar Advocate, Sanjeev Sharma, Mandeep Singh Sandhu, Hardev Singh Kahlon, Jaspal Singh, Kashmir Singh Natt.

The All India Congress General Secretary and in-charge of Punjab affairs, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, today blasted the Akali Dal-BJP leadership for turning this sensitive border state into a river of drugs affecting the very future of the youth and the region.

He was addressing a massive and responsive rally at Kalanaur near the international border in the Dera Baba Nanak Assembly segment, in support of the state Congress chief, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, who is seeking re-election from Gurdaspur.

Mr. Ahmed said the sea of humanity that had turned up at the rally in this remote corner of the constituency was an strong indication that the people would send back packing both the Akali Dal-BJP’s paratrooper candidate, Mr. Vinod Khanna and Mr. Sucha Singh Chhotepur, a rank opportunist fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party.

He said Mr. Bajwa had been entrusted with the responsibility to lead the party by the high command for a special task which he had been carrying out very efficiently and successfully with the result that the party had got strengthened every day. He said the party high command was standing like a wall behind Mr. Bajwa.

Coming down heavily on the Akali Dal-BJP government, he said smuggling was being patronised by the ministers as had been revealed by Jagdish Bhola, an ex-cop arrested by the police in Rs. 5000 crore smuggling racket who had spilled the beans in front of journalists. He said this government was playing with not only the future of the youth but also the state itself.

He said the present election was a fight between two diametrically opposite ideologies. The Congress was a symbol of all inclusive secular ideology without which this diverse country could not be kept united. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party in general and its prime ministerial candidate Mr. Narendra Modi symbolised the most dangerous communal and divisive approach. It was Mr. Modi who presided over the Gujarat communal massacre but had never expressed any remorse for the same, what to talk of apology.

Mr. Ahmed said Mr. Modi betrayed his divisive credentials recently at the Ambedkar Jayanti when he said the Congress had ignored dalits at the cost of the Muslims. However, while in UP, he would speak the opposite. He said such an approach would prove disastrous for this great country with a rich legacy of co-existence.

He slammed Mr. Modi for misleading the people about the so called pink revolution. He said the export of meat products during the NDA regime had touched 3.5 lakh metric tonnes. Not only that, in Gujarat, it had increased to 22,000 tonnes from 10,000 tonnes per annum. He said Mr. Modi was a habitual liar who had always tried to mislead the people by distorting or ignoring facts.

He said yet another example of the treatment being meted out to the minorities in Gujarat was the case of the Sikh farmers settled in Kutch area of that state who were facing the threat of eviction. These farmers who were issued evictions orders from the lands they had been cultivating for about 50 years had been given relief by the Gujarat High Court but the Modi government went in for appeal against this order to the Supreme Court. He said Mr. Badal had failed to impress upon Mr. Modi to withdraw this SLP from the Supreme Court. He said this was the real face of the man whom Mr. Badal had been projecting as the prime ministerial candidate.

Mr. Ahmed said the BJP was steeped in corruption and two of its presidents had to go precisely because of the corruption charges. One of these presidents was convicted. In Karnataka, the party had re-inducted the former chief minister who had to quit on corruption charges. He said the BJP had no moral right to talk about corruption.

Blasting the Gujarat model of development, he said Mr. Modi had sold out his state to the corporate sector and the Adani group was allotted 45,000 acres of land for peanuts. Now the corporate sector was managing his poll campaign at the national level.

He appealed to the people to strengthen the hands of Mr. Bajwa and send him to the Lok Sabha with a record margin.

Mr. Bajwa spoke at length listing the achievements of the UPA government including the implementation of one-rank-one-pension, food security, right to education, increase in MSP of wheat and paddy in last nine years and NRHM (108 Ambulance), PMGSY, MNREGA etc. he said the UPA care for the common man.

He said on the other hand, the Badal government had failed to implement its assurances in the manifesto like doubling of old age pension and unemployment allowance.

Those present included Dera Baba Nanak MLA Mr. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Batala MLA Mr. Ashwani Sekhri, BKU leader Mr. Bhupinder Singh Mann, Mr. Inderjit Singh Randhawa, Mr. Deepinder Singh Randhawa, Mr. Janak Raj, Mr. Kulwant Singh Swami, Mr. Pardip Sachdeva, Mr. Salwinder Sindhu and Mr. Gurjit Singh Aujla.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa today said that the Akali Dal-BJP alliance candidate Mr. Vinod Khanna was far removed from the grass root reality and lacked vision. He said the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from this constituency, Mr. Sucha Singh Chhotepur, lacked in commitment to the people and his politics had always been dictated by his personal interests.

Mr. Bajwa said ‘Mumbai ka Babu’ Mr. Khanna perhaps did not know that the situation in Punjab had worsened during the last seven years since the Akali Dal-BJP government headed by Mr. Parkash Singh Badal came into power. The biggest problems facing the state were unemployment and drug addiction and both these problems had multiplied under the present government.

He said Mr. Khanna should know that the celluloid world was far removed from the reality and the actual life experience but the problem with him was that he continued to treat his make believe world of celluloid as a reality and hence could not come out with any real solution the people were faced with.

He said it was the UPA government which had been working for the empowerment of all sections of the people in general and of the women in particular. He said the UPA had gone to the extent of proposing 33 per seats in the Parliament. The UPA could rightly claim the credit for making reservation for women in various elected bodies.

He said it was the UPA that had created lakhs of employment avenues at every level while the record of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance government in the state was nil. He said the Badal government had hijacked even the food security scheme of the UPA and was being pushed through as its own. In the big cities, local buses had been provided by the UPA under the JLNURM but the state government taking credit for the same. Similar was the case with the ambulances under the central scheme on which Mr. Badal had pasted his own photograph.

Mr. Bajwa said now when the Akalis approach the people for votes in the Lok Sabha elections, the people question them about the forgotten promises like the doubling of old age pensions, shagun schemes which continued to be meagre. He said the problem the beneficiaries of the pension schemes were facing that whatever meagre amount had been fixed, they were not getting even that. He said nothing could be more ironic from the woes of the pensioners in the Badal villages itself who had not received their pensions for the last three months.

“If this can happen in the native village of the Chief Minister, one can visualise what will be the situation in the rest of the state. The students have not been paid their stipends and laptops. The supply of atta-daal had been irregular till the state government hijacked the central scheme”, the PPCC chief said.

He said it was perhaps for this reason that the Akali Dal-BJP alliance was seeking votes in the name of its prime ministerial candidate Mr. Narendra Modi rather than on the basis of its own performance. There was no Modi wave in the state and the people would not be misled by showing them the Modi mirage.

Commenting upon Mr. Chhotepur, the PPCC chief said here was a man whose commitment to the people itself was questionable as he had always looked for greener pastures in his political life rather than having any commitment to the people. He said the people in this border constituency fully understood his politics of extreme opportunism. Moreover, AAP had failed to perform when got an opportunity to form the government in Delhi and its chief, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal ditched the people of Delhi.

He said the people would reject Mr. Chhotepur as he had been changing his loyalties day and night.

Mr. Bajwa said only the UPA was committed to the welfare of the common man and had time tested secular credentials as against the divisive policies and ideology of the BJP in general and Mr. Modi in particular. Such a divisive ideology was dangerous for the country, he added.

Mr. Bajwa met the Pathankot Bar Association, NGO's and representative of Beopar Mandal in Pathankot today. Other who were present Ashok Sharma Ex-MLA, Raman Bhalla Ex-MLA, Anil Vij President Distt. Congress Committee Pathankot, Rakesh Mahajan Pammi President City Congress Committee, Bansi Lal General Secretary, Gaurav Wadhera MC, Rajinder Deepa, Rama Puri, Rajinder Gupta, Sukhminder Kaur, Ajay Salotra, Kulbhushan Manhas, Rajdeep Singh.

Sukhbir has admitted failure of his own development model: Bajwa
Hold series of meeting is Dina Nagar Assembly Constituency

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the Deputy Chief Minister and the Shiromani Akali Dal President Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal has admitted the utter failure of his own development model while projecting the Gujarat model for the entire country.

Bajwa while addressing a series of meeting in Villages Nawan Shalla, Tibri Cantt, Chawa Chowk, Purana Shalla, Talibpur Pandori, Paniar Ghanaian, Dodwan, Behrampur, Dorangla of Dina Nagar Constituency He said it was too well known a fact that the Gujarat model of Mr. Narendra Modi amounted to favouring a microscopic minority that had collapsed on the human development scale and Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal should just go through the statistic of that state on issues like student dropout rate, malnutrition and the like. He said Gujarat was a laggard state as compared to the national average on such indices.

The PPCC chief who seeking re-election from Gurdaspur said the Congress Vice-President, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, had rightly punctured the Gujarat model by referring to the fact that Mr. Modi had only been trying to appease some select industrialists in the state by offering them land for peanuts. He said now this crony capital was funding the campaign of the Bharatiya Janata party at the national level. He said the BJP in general and Mr. Modi in particular must explain the source of money for heavy advertising in the media.

He said Punjab at one time had been the most developed state but it had lagged behind in the wake of lack of vision of Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son. “Mr. Sukhbir Badal has now himself conceded that it is the Gujarat model which is panacea for all the ills of the country. Here is a model which has not been given any rating by the experts”, he added.

He said The Akali Dal was trying to create a hype in the name of Mr. Modi as this government had failed to come up to the expectations of the people and implement the promises made in the manifesto due to the financial crisis in which the Badal government had landed the state in. even such like the doubling of old age pensions had not been kept. Not only that, the beneficiaries were not getting such pensions on time and the state government was faltering time and again.

He said Mr. Sukhbir Badal should tell the people as to why Mr. Modi ignored the three main issues raised by Mr. Badal at the Jagraon rally. He said Mr. Modi and the BJP manifesto were talking of inter-linking of rivers to which the Akali Dal was opposed. Similar was the situation in case of uniform civil code as the Akali Dal had been demanding a separate personnel law for the Sikhs.

He said the BJP candidate from Gurdaspur, Mr. Vinod Khanna, must explain his position on the issue of uniform civil code being advocated by his party and the inter-linking of rivers. He said the people of Punjab had a right to know his position on these issues which were considered to be very sensitive in this state.

Other who accompanied were Aruna Chaudhary MLA Dina Nagar, Ashok Chaudhary, Sucha Singh Multani, Vikram Singh Saini, Amarjit Singh Zone Incharge,Denam Singh, Kewal, Puran Singh Sarpanch, Rajunath, Tarsem Lal, Barkat Singh Sarpanch, Neeraj Salhotra, Subedar Lakhwinder Singh, Sarpanch Joginder Kaur, Tehal Singh, Sarpanch Dalbir Chand, Lambardar Charanjeet Singh, Thakur Baldev Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Chuharpur, Deewan Singh, Iqbal Singh, Balkar Singh, Dilbag Singh.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today called upon his opponent from the Akali Dal supported Bharatiya Janata Party Mr. Vinod Khanna to explain his stand on the Sikh farmers settled in Kutch area of Gujarat who were facing eviction threat.

Mr. Bajwa alowngwith S. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa MLA Fatehgarh Churian toured Hardo Jhande, Dhadiala Natt, Saar Chur and Kala Afgana villages of Fatehgarh Churian Assembly Segment and he said the Gujarat Chief Minister and NDA’s prime ministerial candidate, Mr. Narendra Modi, had failed to come to the rescue of these beleaguers farmers who turned these waste lands into green lands through hard labour during the last about 50 years.

He said what was all the more reprehensible was that these farmers had won their case in the Gujarat High Court but the Modi government went into appeal to the Supreme Court against this order. The issue was the withdrawal of special leave petition filed by the Gujarat government from the apex court but Mr. Modi had maintained an intriguing silence on this basic point.

The PPCC chief said this action of the Gujarat government reinforced the perception of Mr. Modi being anti-minority. Earlier, he had the image of being anti-Muslim but the case of these Sikh farmers was unquestionable evidence that he was against all the minorities in the country.

“It was the Punjab Chief Minister, R. Parkash Singh Badal, who was amongst the first leaders to hail Mr. Modi as the future of India. The Akali Dal has been claiming to be the representative of the Sikhs. However, Mr. Badal has no specific answer as to why the leader being hailed by him has failed to come to the rescue of these farmers. Mr. Khanna is the BJP candidate supported by the Akali dal and as such, he must make his stand clear on the withdrawal of the SLP by the Gujarat government from the Supreme Court. You cannot mislead people all the time”, he said.

Bajwa recalled that it was Mr. Badal who had unashamedly bestowed the title of Sardar-e-Azam on Mr. Modi without getting any assurance from him on the withdrawal of this petition. “ Mr. Badal has always been dictated by the personal and the family interests rather than the interests of Punjab, Punjabis and the Sikhs. In this very case, he has adopted the policy to appease the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for very personal reason in case the NDA comes to power. What Mr. Badal sees is mirage as the ambition of Mr. Modi would never materialise, thereby leaving Mr. Badal in the lurch as he wants cabinet berth for his daughter-in-law Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal. There are two ifs, one if is associated with the future of the NDA and the other to that of his daughter-in-law”, he added.

He said Mr. Badal was under the illusion of a Modi wave sweeping across Punjab whereas the situation was to the contrary with tsunami of anti-incumbency against his government gaining strength every day which would demolish the edifice of his repressive, corrupt and anti-people government.

Others present were Balwinder Singh Bhalwali President BCC Fatehgarh Churian, Balwinder Singh Bhullar, President BCC Batala, Tarpal Singh Parowal, Onkar Singh Lati, Hardyal Singh Parowal, Buta Singh Ghoga, Lakhwinder Aliwal, S. Samitar Singh Ex-Sarpanch, S. Hardeep Singh, S. Masa Singh, Malkit Singh. Narinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Harvail Singh, Paramjit Singh, Gurdip Singh Tangewal, Gurwinder Singh BSF, Baljinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh Jaithu, Lakhwinder Singh Pardhan, Dilbag Singh, Santokh Singh Pardhan, Sohan Singh, Bhinder Singh Bhinda, Simarjit Singh, Jugraj Singh.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, said the fifth time Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, had made a mockery of the elecoral system and the Election Commission of India by openly calling upon the industrialists in Jalandhar to fund the poll campaign of the Akali Dal candidate, Mr. Pawan Kumar Tinnu, saying that electioneering costs crores of rupees, many times more than the limit prescribed on poll expenses.

Mr. Bajwa, who addressed a series of meetings in the Assembly Constituency Bhoa today, dwelt on the issue of constitutional and moral responsibility of a senior leader like Mr. Badal who made the comments in the presence of TV journalists.

“It is too well known that the so called strategy and tactics of the self-proclaimed election management wizard and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, is the use of money and muscle power to win elections. This public confession by Mr. Badal has only reinforced this perception. it shows to what level the Badals can go to win the election”, he added.

He said it was too well known a fact that it was Mr. Badal who was the first in the state to introduce the use of money power beginning with his very second election which he had lost against the Congress. He recalled that Mr. Badal had contested his very first election in 1957 on the Congress ticket, his heritage which he later disowned.

He said Mr. Badal was the biggest hypocrite , rank opportunist and a ruthless politician who had always been swimming along the tide. He said the Jalandhar incident had once again exposed his real which.

He said it was such funding of the elections by the industrialists which was at the root of corruption and it was Mr. Badal who was promoting such means whereas a fifth time chief minister should have been setting an example in the implementation of the model code of conduct of which the polls expenses is a part.

He lambasted Mr. Badal for perpetuating corruption as evident from the multiplication of the assets of the Badal family which had a hand in every pie and had taken over the transport business forcing out even small transporters. “How come that the business of the Badal family has flourished only when in power?”, he asked.

He said the issues arising out of Mr. Badal’s interaction with the industrialists to seek funds for Mr. Tinnu were not just technical but related to broader questions of morality and ethics, besides violation of the electoral laws by the Chief Minister himself, he added.

Referring to the so called development agenda of the Badal government, he said both Mr. Badal and his son must visit Bhoa area which represented the other Punjab and where development had always remained elusive. This region would teach them the real meaning of development as every basic amenity was lacking here, he added.
Sent from my Windows Phone.

During his Bhoa meeting Sh. Balbir Singh Fatehpuria, Raman Bhalla Ex-MLA, Ram Lal Ex-MLA, Smt. Raj Kumar Sarpanch Bhoa, Sh. Raj Kumar Pradhan Block Congress Committee Taragarh, Satinder Pinka President BCC Sarna, Anil Dara, , Anil Vij President DCC Pathankot, Naresh Puri, Raj Kumar Neela, Kiran Bala Zila Parishad Member were present

The Punjab Pradesh Congress President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the time bomb had started ticking which would wipe out the Akali Dal from the face of Punjab. He described the Akali Dal President Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal as self-terminator.

Addressing a series of meetings in Qadian constituency today where he kick started his poll campaign, Mr. Bajwa said, “Yes, I am a bomb, a time bomb. And this bomb will wipe out the Akali Dal from the face of Punjab in the Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal is like a genetically modified self-terminator seed which ends its own life cycle after a specified period of time and the political life cycle of the Akali Dal chief is nearing its end”.

The PPCC chief said the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, was fully aware of this self-terminator characteristic of his son and that was the reason he had not vacated his space in the government for him despite Mr. Sukhbir Badal being desperate to take over.

He said Mr. Sukhbir Badal, the man with a bloated ego and arrogance, was too scared of the post-poll scenario as his government was not just confronted with tsunami of anti-incumbency but also anger of the people at misrule, deteriorating law and order situation in the state for which the Akali goons were responsible and the menace of addiction which had gone viral due to easy availability of drugs being smuggled under the patronage of Akali leaders.

Referring to AAP, he described it as a failed party lacking capacity to govern as evident from the way the Delhi experience of the voters turned into a disaster. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Mr. Narendra Modi, and the AAP chief Mr. Arvind Kejriwal had the potential to inflict maximum damage to the social fabric of the country and governance. He dubbed the AAP candidate from Gurdaspur Mr. Chhotepur as the biggest opportunist. Commenting upon the Aam Aadmi Party, he said its seriousness could be gauged from the fact that the party had fielded a rank opportunist like Mr. Sucha Singh Chhotepur from Gurdaspur.

He said the way AAP ditched its voters in Delhi had conclusively proved that this party was nothing more than a misadventure resorting more to theatrics than offering any concrete programme. For a programme to be implemented, what was needed was adequate organizational structure and that too was lacking in this case.

Hitting out at AAP, Mr. Bajwa said the lack of any serious concern for the people by this party was also indicative from the choice of Mr. Chhotepur who was known as a weather cock and had never remained committed to any political party. At best, he was a rank opportunist who could change his loyalty to suit his vested political interests. He called upon the people to weigh the record of this person carefully before going to the polling booths.

He recalled that Mr. Chhotepur started his political career with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and then shifted to legislative politics. He had always been waiting for the opportune moment to strike a deal and he had repeated similar act once again. This also sent out the signal about the capacity of the AAP leaders to assess its candidates.

Bajwa addressed series of meetings in Tugal wala, Bhattian, Nanuwal Jinder, Bhaini MianKhan,Chakk Sharif, Gunnopur, Jogi Cheema, Dhariwal, Kahnuwan, Kahlwan, Qadian City.

S. Partap Singh Bajwa was accompanied by S. FatehJang Singh Bajwa and number of supporters from the constituency. Others included are Baldish Singh Toor, Surjit Singh, Darshan singh, Jagbir Singh, Mngal Singh, Mintu Ghuman, Babbu Slahpur, Dwinder Singh, Jasbir Singh, Dljit lakhnpur, Wassan Singh, Ratjit Singh, Thakur Balraj,Mahinder Singh, Satnam Singh, Sajjan Singh, Manmohan Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Sangat Singh, Ladi, Mohan Singh, Kulwant Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Amarbir Singh,Sohan lal, Rattan Singh, Subedar Major Pritam Singh, Tarsem Singh, Sarpanch Chaman Lal, Ajit Singh Ex Sarpanch,Nirmal, Balwinder Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Dharam Singh, Sawarn Lakhowal,Gurmukh, Mukhtiar Singh.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today slammed the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, for selling dreams of taking the state to higher tangent of development while the reality at the grassroots was different with the lack of even basic amenities like proper roads, thereby filling up the people with anger which they would vent out in this election.

He said during the last seven years of the Parkash Singh Badal government, not a single big ticket project had been allocated to Majha, what to talk of Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency comprising Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts. He said his development balloon had burst and humiliating defeat was staring in the face of the Akali Dal-BJP combine in this border state where the impact of Mr. Narendra Modi was nowhere discernible.

Recalling his achievements during the last five years, Mr. Bajwa said he was instrumental in taking up the issue of one-rank-one-pension scheme for ex-servicemen which was taken to logical conclusion benefitting lacs of these valiant men who had been struggling for long for the implementation of this demand. This had benefitted about 50,000 ex-servicemen in Majha out of whom about 30,000 were in Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts.

He said Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal seemed to be suffering from amnesia as it was he would had taken up the issue of levy of wealth tax on farm lands within the municipal limits, the proposal which they UPA government subsequently withdrew at his initiative. He said it was a matter of record.

He lambasted Mr. Badal for misleading the people on the Beas-Qadian rail link which, he said, had been approved by the Railway ministry but subtly scuttled by the state government. He pointed out that the team from the railways was not allowed to conduct survey and attacked by the residents of a village near Qadian who happened to be the Akali supporters and the state government failed to provide protection to the railway staff. He said it was ironic that Mr. Sukhbir Badal was himself the Home Minister but could not facilitate this survey by providing police escort for the reasons best known to him. He said this again was part of the record.

He said the Deputy Chief Minister should also check the record as to where the central university approved by the Human Resource ministry was initially planned for. The Badal government shifted it from its original proposed location in Gurdaspur to Ghudda village near Badal in Bathinda district. The proposal to set up a railway coach factory near Kalanaur in Gurdaspur met similar fate due to non-cooperative attitude of the Badal government. Haryana offered land and this project was shifted to Sonipat, thanks to the Badal government.

He also referred to yet another significant decision of the centre to set up a triple IIT at Gurdaspur but this project again remained part of the files for similar reasons.

The PPCC chief said the BJP in the Gurdaspur constituency was a divided house and factionalism was sharpening every day. He said the BJP had once again brought Mr. Vinod Khanna, the man from Mumbai, whom the people had rejected in the last election. He predicted the Gurdaspur constituency would repeat history by consigning Mr. Khanna to the dustbin of history.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, today said the public criticism of the Parkash Singh Badal government by none else but its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, had not only exposed the chinks in the working of the alliance partner but substantiated his party’s stand that all claims being made by this government were bogus, hollow and without any basis.

He flagged off nine high tech vans for campaigning in all the nine Assembly segments of his Lok Sabha constituency from Gurdaspur today.

Mr. Bajwa, the Congress candidate from Gurdaspur seeking re-election, said, “The BJP has described the state of governance in Punjab as poor while both Chief Minister his Deputy Chief Minister son, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, had been making tall claims of implementing governance reforms and cutting red tape to end corruption. The BJP’s open criticism of the government has only proved that the Badal government has only been misleading the people and building castles in the air”.

He said that the BJP had to finally express its resentment about ill treatment being meted out by the senior alliance partner and the state bureaucracy was an indication that the party had to take this extreme step to give vent to its anger after having failed all other inner alliance channels. The editorial carried by BJP’s official mouthpiece “Kamal Suneha” betrayed the official line of the party.

The PPCC chief said all along, Mr. Badal and the senior BJP leaders had been claiming that the alliance was more than political and it represented social harmony. Even the BJP’s Amritsar candidate, Mr. Arun Jaitley, had taken this line but now the frustration among even the BJP ministers in the state had been exposed and that too by the party itself.

“Now Mr. Badal cannot dismiss this criticism of the functioning of his government as some baseless charges by the opposition. The public has a right to seek answer from him as to how come that even the alliance partner of the Akali Dal had very serious reservations about the functioning of the government”, he added.

What was all the more serious matter was that the party had publicly stated that senior police officers were not listening to the BJP ministers and other leaders. Not only that. The party had gone to the extent of charging the Deputy Chief Minister of ignoring the public grievances as the Home department was with him. He said the functioning of this modern face of the Akali Dal has now come under question and that too by the alliance partner. Such charges could not be just dismissed by him as he claimed himself to be the CEO of the state.

The high tech vans flagged off by Mr. Bajwa have been equipped with LCDs and generators and would cover 15 to 20 points every day. A 22-minute film would be exhibited propagating the achievements of the UPA government with an appeal from Mr. Bajwa to the voters. Six jingles have also been prepared.

Earlier in the day Mr. Bajwa chaired a meeting of Senior Congress Leaders from Gurdaspur in District Congress Bhawan Gurdaspur. He took the over view of the preparation for the campaigning by the leaders in his constituency. He also appealed to leaders to be united and fight against the communal forces.

Those present included Mr. Pritam Singh Bhinder, Mr. Chander Pal, Mr. Ajay Verma, Mr. Inder Pal Singh Dhanna, Mr. Salamat Masih, S. Gurmeet Singh Pahra, Sh. Raman Behl, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Thekedar, Mr. Raju Gharala, Mr. Narinder Singh Pandher, Mr. Baghel Singh, Ms. Anu Malhotra, Mr. Neeraj Salhotra, Mr. Jarnail Singh Bhumli, Mr. Hardev Singh, Mr. Gurpartap Singh Mann and Mr. Dilbagh Masih.

Boosting up the campaign of the Punjab Congress Committee President, Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, former MLA Ashok Sharma today re-joined the party.

He was welcomed on his home coming by Mr. Bajwa saying this would further strengthened the party in this crucial Lok Sabha election which was a contest between two conflicting ideologies with the Congress representing the secular forces in this country characterised by diversity while the approach of the BJP was hegemonistic.

The party's national General Secretary and in charge of Punjab affairs, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, was also present to welcome Mr. Sharma. Significantly, this was the first visit of Dr. Ahmed to Punjab after the announcement of elections.

Mr. Bajwa said the people were fed up with the open loot by the Akali Dal and the BJP leaders who were directly involved in massive illegal sand mining. Moreover, the BJP had been silent spectator to the oppressive regime which had imposed back breaking property tax.

Dr. Shakeel Ahmed said the Congress in Punjab was gaining every day and the people in this border state would give a decisive result in favour of the party. He said Mr. Sharma's return would play a significant role in this context.

Others who were present on the occasion included Mr. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, MLA from Dera Baba Nanak, Mrs. Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, MLA from Qadian, Mrs. Aruna Chaudhary, MLA from Dinanagar, the Punjab Youth Congress President, Mr. Vikram Chaudhary, S. Inderjit Singh Randhawa, Sh. Ajay Verma, Sh. Rajinder Deepa, Sh. Anil Dutta, S. Satnam Singh Bitta, Sh. Ashok Chaudhary and Sh. Rumal Chand Ex-MLA several others.

MLA Channi seeks direction for notification of the resignation of Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu in the Gazzette immediately

Vice President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) an MLA from Chamkaur Sahib Mr. Charanjit Singh Channi filed a complaint with Hon’ble Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha seeking immediate notification of the resignation of Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, Member of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, from the membership of the house, in the gazette and to forward a copy thereof to the Election Commission of India enabling it to take appropriate steps to fill up the said vacancy.

Mr. Channi said that neither the said event has been notified in the Gazzsette nor copy sent to the Election Commission of India for further necessary action till date, as required by law. Mr. Channi has also sent the CC of complaint to Secretary Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Chandigarh and Chief Election Commissioner, ECI, Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi.

Mr. Channi said Mr. Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu has resigned from the membership of the house on 07.03.2014 and as required under rule 51 (5) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, his resignation was accepted and announced by the Hon’ble Speaker in the house on that very day.

Mr. Channi further added that with the announcement of his resignation by the Hon’ble Speaker in the house, the seat of the said member fell vacant. Immediately thereafter, Secretary, Punjab Vidhan Sabha was bound under rule 51 (6) of the said Rules to notified the said event in the Gazette and to forward a copy whereof to the Election Commission of India enabling it to take appropriate steps to fill up the said vacancy, However, till today, neither the said event has been notified nor copy sent to the election Commission of India for further necessary action.

Mr. Channi said the failure of the Secretary, Punjab Vidhan Sabha to perform his duty as required under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Punjab Vidhan Sabha has cast a dark shadow on his integrity and hitherto impartial working of the Sabha Secretariat. Besides, he had breached the trust and privilege of House bestowed upon him under the said rule 51 (6). Further his action has deprived the Election Commission of India to initiate the process of election for people of the concerned Assembly constituency for electing their representative and is offensive to the democratic process and our constitution.

Mr. Channi said, as a guardian of the privileges of the House and fair working of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. He urged the Hon’ble Speaker to treat it as his notice for reference to the privileges Committee and also issue directions for notifying the said event in the Gazette and forwarding a copy thereof to the Election Commission of India for filling the said vacancy.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President S. Pratap Singh Bajwa greeted all Punjabis on Holi, the festival of colours and Hola Mohalla.

Mr Bajwa observed that the celebration of festivals, an important part of our rich cultural heritage, strengthens the bonds of brotherhood, love and amity. He expressed the hope that the festival would spread happiness and joy all around and further promote harmony and brotherhood.

He asked the people to commemorate this blissful occasion in harmony with spiritual passion and jollity rising above of the petty considerations of class, faith and colour.

School dropout rates rises in high profile Bathinda district—Punjab Congress

The school dropout rate at the secondary level is on the rise in the high profile district of Bathinda in the Malwa hinterland to which Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka belongs and is represented in the outgoing Lok Sabha by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

In a joint statement issued here S Gurpreet Singh Kangar Vice President PPCC, S. Ajaib Singh Bhatti MLA, S. Joginder Singh Panjgrain MLA, S. Harminder Singh Jassi Ex MLA, S. Gura Singh Tungwali President DCC Rural, Sh. Mohan Lal Aggarwal DCC President Bathinda Urban Bathinda is the one district which has been receiving all the attention of the ruling Badal family headed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, getting major share of the state revenue along with the Muktsar district in the matter of grants. Badals spend most of the time in this very district. Harsimrat is now seeking yet another term to the Lok Sabha from this seat.

Congress Leaders said that according to the information provided to RTI activist Dr. Jasdeepak Singh by the office of the Director General, Education, the dropout rate at the secondary level in Bathinda district witnessed increase to 8.9 per cent in 1013-14 as compared to 2.91 per cent in 2009-10. On the other hand, the comparative figures for Ferozepur district were 25.14 per cent and 4.66 per cent. Ferozepur is the one district along with Sangrur which had made spectacular progress by way of fall in dropout rate. In Sangrur, it was 20.84 per cent in 2009-10 as compared to 6.13 per cent in 2013-14.

It may be mentioned that the dropout rate at the state level registered decrease from 7.18 per cent in 2009-10 to 5.21 in 2013-14. Bathinda should be seen in this context.

Interestingly, Muktsar district to which the Badal family belongs, has not shown much progress either on this front. The dropout rate was 11.66 per cent as compared to 9.75 per cent in 2013-14. Significantly, at 9.75 per cent, the dropout rate is the highest in Muktsar as compared to other districts in the state.

Congress Leaders said despite all the efforts at so called development of these districts, this trend was alarming and indicative of the fact that the development model being followed by the Badal government was flawed. Social indices are supposed to be the in indicators of the development of a state, not just constructing a few flyovers. At the level of total number of students enrolled at the secondary level, the situation is far from being comfortable in Bathinda district. The increase in 2013-14 was just marginal as compared to the previous year. The total number of students who got enrolled in 2013-14 was 39990 as against 39745 the previous year.

The Congress leaders said Maluka was one of those ministers who had been embroiled in controversies and whose interests were others rather than education. The development of human resources in his own area was under a question mark and hence his competence to handle this important ministry.

A delegation of legal cell of Punjab Pradesh congress committee led by S. Surjit Singh Swaich, S Pritam Singh Bhatti, Chairman Grievances Cell PPCC and S. Gurwinder Singh Bali, Secretary PPCC today met the chief electoral officer Punjab, Sh V K Singh in Chandigarh regarding the holding of proposed political conference on 16.03.14 in the Gurudwara Sahib Complex at Sri Anandpur Sahib by Shiromani Akali Dal. Sh Singh assured the delegation of prompt requisite action and said that he has already written to the deputy commissioner Rupnagar in this regard.

S Partap Singh Bajwa President PPCC has already given a written complaint regarding to the chief electoral officer Punjab on 10-03-14. It was particularly mentioned in the complaint that the said political conference by the SAD in the Gurudwara sahib complex would be highly violative of the model code of conduct as the same has already come into force with the announcement of general elections to the 16th loksabha. The said parking space opposite to the Sarovar is part and parcel of Gurudwara sahib complex. It is pertinent to mention here that the said Gurudwara Sahib is a historical Gurudwara and is under the SGPC.

Subject : Complaint against holding of proposed Political Conference on 16.03.2014 in the Gurudwara Sahib Complex at Sri Anandpur Sahib by Shiromani Akali Dal, in gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct, with request to issue necessary orders/directions to prohibit the SAD from holding the said political conference in the Gurudwara Sahib complex.

With due respect it is brought to your kind notice that Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ruling party in the State of Punjab is going to hold a Political Conference on 16.03.2014 in the Gurudwara Sahib complex (parking place in front of Sarovar in the Gurudwara Sahib Complex at Sri Anandpur Sahib) on the occasion of Holla Mohalla - an annual religious function of Sikh Masses. The said political conference by the SAD in the Gurudwara Sahib Complex would be highly violative of the Model Code of Conduct as the same has already come into force with the announcement of General Election to the 16th Lok Sabha. The said parking place opposite the Sarovar is part and parcel of Gurudwara Sahib Complex/precincts. It is further pertinent to mention here that the said Gurudwara Sahib is a Historical Gurudwara and is under the management & control of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee. As per the Model Code of Conduct, no political sconference can be held in a religious place. The news regarding the holding of said political conference on 16.03.2014 in the precincts of Gurudwara Sahib at Sri Anandpur Sahib has been published in various newspapers including Rozana Ajit Jalandhar dated 09.03.2014 (Sunday) at page no. 10 Roopnagar Edition. A clipping of the said news item is being annexed herewith. The said news item has reported regarding the holding of a meeting in the Gurudwara Sahib Takht Sri Kesh garh Sahib by SAD leaders including S. Prem Singh Chandumajra SAD-BJP Candidate from Sri Anandpur Sahib parliamentary Constituency regarding the preparations for the Political Conference to be held on 16.03.2014 by SAD-BJP at Sri Anandpur Sahib at the aforesaid venue i.e. within the precincts of Gurudwara Sahib.

If the political conference by SAD-BJP is allowed in the Gurudwara Sahib Complex/precincts where lakhs of devotees are expected to gather on the occasion of Holla Mohalla, it would grossly violate the Model Code of Conduct. The said political activity in the Gurudwra Sahib Complex for the advancement of electoral prospects of SAD-BJP candidates in the entire Satte of Punjab in General and S. Prem Singh Chandumajra SAD-BJP candidate from Sri Anandnpur Sahib parliamentary constituency in particular would not only be violative of the Model Code of Conduct but also would amount to corrupt practice. The present complaint is being made to your goodself in advance to prevent the said illegal activity and violation of the Model Code of Conduct and misuse of religious place for the political ends.

Therefore your goodself is requested to take immediate action in the matter and issue necessary orders/directions to the concerned authorities including Deputy Commissioner Roopnagar for prohibiting the holding of the aforesaid political conference on 16.03.2014 by SAD-BJP in the Gururdwara Sahib Complex/precincts (parking place/ground in front of Sarovar and main Gurudwara Sahib at Sri Anandpur Sahib) to prevent the violation of Law, Model Code of Conduct and Corrupt practice to ensure the holding of free and fair elections.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today submitted a complaint to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Punjab Sh. V.K.Singh and demanded to remove the photos of Chief Minister Sh. Parkash Singh Badal from the 108 ambulance service.

The complaint signed by PPCC President Sh. Partap Singh Bajwa has requested the CEO to issue necessary directions to Government of Punjab to remove the photos of Chief Minister since Model Code of Conduct has been enforced in whole of state due to Lok Sabha elections.

The complaint read, “The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has full faith and confidence that your good self would ensure the holding of free and fair elections and provide level playing field to all the political parties in the State participating in the electoral process, bedrock of any democratic system”.

It said that “We want to bring to your kind notice that “108” Ambulances in the State are carrying photographs of Sh. Parkash Singh Badal, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Punjab. As Sh. Parkash Singh Badal belongs to the ruling SAD-BJP combine and the said alliance of SAD and BJP is contesting the present parliamentary elections in the State, the photographs of Sh. Parkash Singh Badal on the said ambulances are in violation of not only the Model Code of Conduct, but would also influence the voters and would adversely affect the holding of free and fair elections. The matter has also been reported in print media”.

Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa expressed his solidarity with Punjab government employees who were not paid their salaries for the month of February and flayed the SAD-BJP government for withholding payment of salaries, pension, dues, medical bills and loan from Provident Fund.

In a statement issued here Mr. Bajwa said that unrest among the government employees has reached its flash point. He said that employees in almost every department were up in arms against the state government. He said that Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal was making false claims of improvement in financial position of government. He said that the teachers, nurses, ministerial staff, contract employees of various department and Anganwadi workers were protesting for their demands for months together.

Mr. Bajwa said that Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal had lowered the stature of his post by making false promises with striking employees every six months and then breaking the promises. He said that functioning of most of government department was paralyzed and causing problem to common people.

Mr. Bajwa said that SAD-BJP government was selling government properties to increase its revenue receipt but the money is being wasted on non-productive exercise of Progressive Punjab Investment summit, Agriculture summit, NRI Sammelan. He said that not even a single penny was invested by any corporate house. He said that PUDA had sold several properties on the pretext of making investment in development projects but the money was diverted to government treasury to fill the coffers of state government.

Mr. Bajwa said that the debt of Punjab would cross mark of One lakh crores by the end of March 31 and Punjab government has been taking over draft from RBI over and above its credit limit. Mr. Bajwa said that between the years 2008- 2013, the SAD-BJP government had paid an interest of over Rs. 59 crores where as it has taken overdraft every year in the last seven years.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bajwa condemned lathi charge on teachers working under Sarb Sikha Abhiyan at Lambi the home constituency of Chief Minister. He said that teachers were sitting on dharna for the last seven days but their demands were not accepted.

Punjab to face power crisis, as power plants failed to produce a single unit of power

PPCC chief Mr. Pratap Singh Bajwa onslaught SAD-BJP alliance for befooling people of Punjab

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Chief (PPCC) Mr. Pratap Singh Bajwa today made onslaught on the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal and Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janta Party (SAD-BJP) alliance over befooling the residents of Punjab by making lame claims of making Punjab power-surplus, while the Thermal power projects inaugurated by Chief Minister of Punjab Mr Prakash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, have not even produced a single unit. Commercial production of power has not started yet at as many as all three power projects including Goindwal Thermal Power Project- Goindwal Sahib, Talwandi Sabo Power Project- at Village Banawala of Mansa and Rajpura Thermal Power project-Village Nalash near Rajpura.

Mr. Bajwa said as the summer season has struck the residents of Punjab, Industrialist, businessmen and farmers should be ready for power crises, as the load of power consumption will increase and the SAD-BJP alliance has done nothing to deal with the problem, besides installing inauguration stones.

“Mr. Jasdeepak Singh, convener RTI cell Punjab Pradesh Congress got the information in first week of March, through RTI about the commercial production at the power projects. The information procured is really an eye opening. In his reply to the RTI application Deputy CE Projects, Thermal Designs, PSPCL Patiala stated that commercial production has not started in all three power projects,” said Mr. Bajwa.

Mr. Bajwa said that the motive behind the inauguration of the power projects was just to woo the voters of Punjab, but the voters have been aware that it was nothing more than a “castle in the air”.

Mr. Bajwa said Talwandi Sabo project is yet to run on coal for final synchronisation, while the Rajpura plant's 700-MW unit had hit a technical snag before the final synchronisation. The Talwandi Sabo project is yet to receive coal for commercial operations. It is still not fully tested on the oil run.

Chiding the SAD-BJP alliance Mr. Bajwa said The Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal had inaugurated the first unit of 660 MW of 1980 MW Talwandi Sabo Power Plant at Village Banwala (Mansa) on November 25, last claiming that the Punjab would be a power-surplus state with this project, but it proved a tall claim.

Charging SAD-BJP alliance Mr Bajwa said, the Sri Goindwal Sahib Power project of 540 MW was to be operation from March last but did not produce a single commercial power unit till date. Similarly, the First Unit of the 700 MW Rajpura Thermal Power Plant at Nalash Village in Patiala district was operation on December 8, last.

In the reply of application under RTI the Deputy CE Projects, Thermal Designs, PSPCL Patiala stated that he is not aware about the commercial production in first unit of Rajpura Thermal Plant, but the in unit-2 commercial production was not started.

Mr. Bajwa said that SAD-BJP government failed at every front. Ministers of the SAD-BJP alliance have been involved in drug peddling. The people of Punjab will cast their votes against the SAD-BJP candidates in Lok Sabha elections.

Punjab Congress leaders in a statement here today said that Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu Congress party MLA from Talwandi Sabi who has joined SAD has a track record of back stabbing and he is opportunist to the core.

The Congress leaders Sh. Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Vice President PPCC, Sh. Harminder Singh Jassi General Secretary PPCC, S. Ajaib Singh Bhatti MLA, S. Joginder Singh Panjgrain MLA, Sh. Amarinder Singh Raja Warring MLA, S. Ajit Inder Singh Mofar MLA and S. Makhan Singh Ex MLA said that Jeet Mohinder was in SAD before 1997 and jumped the fence after ditching the Akalis. He was a mole of SAD in Congress and betrayed the faith of leadership to fetch inside information of party. They said that he was loyal to former Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh as long he was in power. He back stabbed Capt Amarinder Singh and present leadership of PPCC.

The Congress leaders said that SAD leaders knew the basic character of Jeet Mohinder Singh and it is an end of his political career. They said that Jeet Mohinder had won the assembly seat due to support of Congress party workers. By deserting Congress, Jeet Mohinder has lost his credibility and he will not be of any use in SAD. The Congress party has suffered no loss in Malwa region where SAD is passing through identity crisis. The Congress has strong base in Malwa and it will become clear during Lok Sabha poll.

The Congress leaders warned that Jeet Mohinder Singh’s name had figured in Rs.130 crore Adarsh Foundation scam in which he is one of the 13 accused. They said that his continuation in Congress would have done more damage to the party.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa today demanded to build a suitable memorial for the Sikh soldiers who were killed and buried unidentified by the British government during 1857 mutiny.

In a statement issued here Mr. Bajwa said that it was unfortunate that state government had not given due honour to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for national cause. He flayed the Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal for his callous attitude towards national martyrdes.

He demanded cremation of soldiers whose mortal remains have been extracted from ‘Shaheedi Khuh” in Ajnala in Amritsar district with military honours and declare them national martyrs. He said that he would also take up the issue with the center government.

Mr. Bajwa hailed local NGOs and Amarjit Singh Sarkaria president of local Gurdwara Management committee who took the initiative to extract mortal remains of 262 soldiers who were lying buried for centuries..

Murders, kidnappings by Youth Akali Dal men become order of the day: Congress

Punjab Pradesh Congress today strongly condemned the incidents of violence occurring daily in Punjab and stated that leaders of Youth Akali Dal (YAD) headed by revenue minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia were responsible for murders, kidnappings and other incidents of terror.

In a joint statement issued here today Major Singh Bhaini General Secretary PPCC, Sh. Surinder Kumar Dawar MLA and Sh. Pawan Dewan President DCC Ludhiana Urban that indiscriminate firing by Youth Akali Dal groups in Ludhiana yesterday and murder of a 16 years old boy at Khanna by Youth Akali Dal district president Yadavinder Singh Yadu are the fresh incidents of violence. However, there were dozens of other incidents in which members of YAD close to Mr. Majithia were directly involved. The cold blooded murder of Ravinderpal Singh ASI of Amritsar by YAD general secretary RANJIT Singh Rana was a reminder of political patronage being given to criminals by YAD. ASI was killed when he tried to save his daughter from the YAD goons.

They said that Mr. Majithia had recruited criminals in frontal bodies of SAD to intimidate political opponents and indulge in rigging and booth capturing during elections. He said that during last Panchayat elections, the SAD goons had killed seven Congress leaders and hijacked the election process. He said that these criminals were also involved in land grabbing and collection of Gunda tax on behalf of SAD leaders. They said that Mr. Majithia was exploiting the unemployed youth, putting them on drugs and using them for his nefarious activities like running mining mafia and drug trade.

They said that he would take up the matter with Governor of Punjab and Election Commission of India to take preventive steps to avoid violence during Lok Sabha elections.

They said that members of Majithia brigade had also beaten up government officials including Ludhiana Tehsildar Major Gurjinder Singh and SP rank officer S.S.Mand. They said that district presidents of Khanna and Patiala YAD were absconding after committing murder and attempting to murder a Congress leader respectively. They said that Police had failed to arrest any of the Youth Akali leader involved in violence incident. They said that many incidents also go unreported due to political pressure on police.

Sins of Majithia would find him out, he may offer thousand excuses: Punjab Congres

The Punjab Congress today condemned the political overtones of Punjab revenue minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, who is finding excuses to bail him out of drug racket and said that he may be damn clever one day his sins would find him out. He may offer thousand justifications.

Reacting to a statement by Mr. Majithia that Enforcement Directorate was working under Congress pressure to involve him in the drug racket, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Vice Presidents S. Tarlochan Singh MLA, S. Randeep Singh Nabha, MLA, S. Surinder Pal Singh Sibia and Col C.D. Singh Kamboj said that Mr. Majithia was scared of fair investigation and his acts of omission and commission have started bothering Badal family which has been so far shielding him due to his close relationship with them.

The PPCC Vice Presidents said that Mr. Majithia was making ridicules statements that PPCC President Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa was behind instigating drug lord Jagdish Bhola to name him(Majithia) and Enforcement Directorate was working on Congress plan. They said that Jagdish Bhola was prisoner of Punjab Police working under pressure from members of Badal family including Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal who is also home minister and Mr. Majithia himself. They said that it was on record that Mr. Majithia was in regular touch with Fatehgarh Sahib Police during custodial interrogation of Bhola.

The Congress leaders said that Mr. Bajwa had already offered to hold CBI inquiry against Congress leaders including himself and any other member of cabinet in the Congress government from 2002 to 2007 if they are involved in drug trafficking. It is not Mr. Bajwa or Congress leaders who are running away from CBI inquiry rather Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Mr. Sukhbir Badal and Mr. Majithia are scary of probe into drug racket by an independent agency.

PPCC Vice presidents said that Jagdish Bhola had given written statement to Enforcement Directorate and it is fact that Punjab Police tried its best to prevent ED from taking Bhola on remand. He was taken on remand in dozens of old cases immediately after ED officials sent a request for his custody. Bhola has not only named Mr. Majithia, he has also revealed the names of two other cabinet ministers and several SAD leaders involved in the murky drug deals. Damanveer Singh son of Minister for Jails and Tourism Mr. Sarwan Singh Phillaur has already been summoned by ED. They questioned the motive of Damanveer Singh running away to Dubai a day before ED sent him summons.

The Congress leaders said that the Maninder Singh Bittu Aulakh and Jagjit Singh Chahal arrested by police were close aides of Mr. Majithia and SAD MP Mr. Rattan Singh Ajnala. They said that Bhola had also given few other names of ED which he had also told the Punjab Police but his statement was not recorded due to pressure from SAD leaders. They said that if Mr. Majithia was innocent he should himself offer for an investigation to show some sense of responsibility and morality. “Many skeletons would come out of cupboard of Badal family, if probe of drug racket of drug racket is handed over to CBI”, asserts Congress leaders. They said that Mr. Majithia was a curse for people of Punjab and a liability for the SAD.

Punjab overreaching overdraft facility from RBI, heading for economic disaster

Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa President Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today warned that due to continuous and excessive over draft by SAD-BJP government from Reserve Bank of India (RBI), SAD-BJP government in Punjab is driving the state towards an economic disaster.

In a statement here Mr. Bajwa said that RTI information obtained by Dr. Jasdeepak Singh convener of RTI cell of PPCC is mind boggling and alarming. He said that it was shameful that Punjab Government was taking over draft from RBI in the tune of crores and paying interest on it that too in crores mainly to clear the treasury bills i.e. salaries and other bills of its employees.

Mr. Bajwa said that Punjab had been exhausting its limit of ordinary ways and means advances and special ways and means advances and forced to go for overdraft almost every month. He said that the present government had increased its ordinary ways and means advance limit from Rs. 360 crores during 2008-09 to Rs.540 crores in 2013. He said that it means they are taking more loans from RBI and paying more interest. He said that loan under ways and means advance was allowed when the net cash balance in bank account of Punjab government is less that the minimum cash balance which is Rs.1.56 crores.

Mr. Bajwa said that taking loan advance under ordinary ways and means exposes the poor financial management of the government. He said that a government which is claiming huge hike in revenue collection is not able to maintain the minimum cash balance in its bank account.

Mr. Bajwa said that between the years 2008- 2013, the SAD-BJP government had paid an interest of over Rs. 59 crores where as it has taken overdraft every year. During 2008-09 the government took the overdraft of Rs.453.39 crores against its limit of Rs.360 crores, in the year 2009-10, the government took overdraft of 309 crores, in 2010-11, the government ook the overdraft of Rs.398 crores, in 2011-12, the election year, SAD-BJP government took overdraft of Rs.601 crores and continue to inflate to Rs.1149 crores in 2012-13 and Rs.1300 crores in 2013-14 till date. He said that it was worst example of revenue receipts and expenditure account.

Mr. Bajwa said that on the one hand Punjab government has empty treasury and on the other hand it is spending crores of rupees on advertising the laying of foundation stones and self glorification. He said that development propaganda by Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and his son Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Badal was totally misleading and wastage of public money. He said that beneficiaries of social welfare schemes are deprived of benefits granted to them by center and state governments. He wondered that the crores of funds sent by center government under various schemes were being diverted for non-productive exercise of Sangat Darshan programme conducted by the Chief Minister.

Bajwa lambasts Harsimrat Badal for anti-farmer stance