ludhiana’s “Bains brothers” — Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjeet Singh Bains — on Wednesday declared to launch a Satayagrah movement from April 20 against the SAD-BJP combine-led Punjab Government on the issue of illegal mining. In a show of their strength, both independent MlAs from ludhiana, accompanied by large number of supporters, maintained that the agitation would be held against the state government’s policy regarding the illegal mining.
The “peaceful” protest would start from ludhiana, and further taken to 14 districts of the state. “Our campaign against the illegal mining would be launched on April 20 by Team Insaaf. We are not afraid of going to jails. We are determined and would not back out from our decision,” said Balwinder, ludhiana South MlA. “On April 20, we would take the tractors, trolleys, trucks, and other related equipments on the site of quarries, and mines and protest against the illegal mining that has been going on without any check,” said Simarjeet, Atamnagar MlA.
He said: “The sand mines have turned into diamond mines for the Badals. The illegal mining has reached such a height that even a journalist and SP-level officer have been targeted.” Also coming down heavily on the SAD ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Simarjeet asserted that even as the concerned department is with the saffron party, they have failed completely to ensure supply of sand and gravel at low rates.
Not excusing the main opposition, the Congress party, he said that they completed the formality of raising this issue by handing over the memorandums to the deputy commissioners at district headquarters. “In Ropar, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Sri Anadpur Sahib, swindling to the amount of Rs50 crore is still going on through crushers,” he alleged. H esaid: “I have been a part of the Government, I have seen how these dealings take place…If the government wants, illegal mining can be stopped in a day, but they have no such intentions.”