Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) — a conglomeration of six political outfits — would soon come up with a common minimum programme (CMP) for the May 19 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab.
The common minimum programme, which would talk about the “liberating Punjab” from the clutches of “corrupt” political parties, is expected to be released by next week.
“We are coming up with a common minimum programme within a week as we are six political parties,” said PDA member Punjabi Ekta Party president Sukhpal Singh Khaira, while talking with The Pioneer.
Khaira said that despite being different political parties, “we are on the same page and have a common goal”.
“We are here to provide an alternative to the people. No political entity talks about safeguarding Punjab’s interest. Congress and SAD-BJP has been ruling the state for all these years, and they are responsible for all the mess Punjab is in. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on the other hand, is adopting double standards speaking something in Haryana and something else in Punjab,” said Khaira.
It has been learnt that other than the issues of drugs menace, farmers’ suicide, education, employment, reviving industries in the state, saving Punjab’s water, transfer of Chandigarh and other Punjabi speaking areas to Punjab, autonomy to state, among others would be the part of the PDA’s common minimum programme.
PDA comprises of six political outfits — Patiala MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi’s Nawan Punjab Party, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira’s Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bains Brothers’ Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI).
Making an attempt to provide a suitable alternative to the people of the state, these parties have come together to contest
May 19 election as a part of mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against the traditional players — Congress, SAD and BJP.
As of now, the Alliance has announced its eight candidates, out of the total 13 seats in the state.
The parties in the alliance have arrived at consensus on 12 seats while leaving the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat “open” as of now under “special circumstances”.
As per the seat sharing arrangement, BSP gets Sri Anandpur Sahib, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur constituencies, PEP gets Bathinda, Faridkot and Khadoor Sahib, LIP gets Ludhiana, Amritsar and Fatehgarh Sahib, Dr Gandhi’s party got Patiala, while CPI gets Ferozepur, and RMPI gets Gurdaspur.
Aam Aadmi Party’s “suspended” MP Dr Gandhi, who is the main brain behind formulating the common minimum programme, would seek his re-election from
Patiala, while the wido of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra Paramjit Kaur Khalra will contest her first electoral battle from Khadoor Sahib.
Manvinder Singh Giaspura — who had raised the issue of Sikh genocide at Hond Chillar in Haryana — will contest from Fatehgarh Sahib, sitting MLA and former AAP leader Master Baldev Singh Jaiton from Faridkot, international Polo player Vikram Singh Sodhi from Sri Anandpur Sahib, former journalist Balwinder Kumar from Jalandhar, and retired IAS officer Khushi Ram from Hoshiarpur as PDA members.
