Asking the Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to link the kisan andolan (farmers’ agitation) with any one religion or community, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said that the farmers from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala were united on one platform against the three agricultural laws.
Sukhbir, talking to the newsmen after addressing ward level meetings in connection with the forthcoming municipal elections, appealed to the Prime Minister to talk on the agenda and focus on giving justice to the farmers instead of linking the agitation with any one community.
“We should all be clear that the farmer is fighting for the welfare of the annadaata at large and we should not try to divide this struggle by trying to limit it to one religion or community. This will not serve any purpose except alienating the government amongst the farming community,” he said.
‘SHOCKING THAT POLICE NOT BOOKING WARRING’
At the same time, Sukhbir condemned the Punjab Police for not proceeding against Congress’ Gidderbaha legislator Amarinder Singh Raja Warring “even after it was clearly mentioned in the suicide note of contractor Karan Kataria that Raja Warring and the latter’s brother-in-law Dimpy Vinayak were both demanding money from the contractor”.
“It is shocking that even after the death of the contractor, who shot himself and his family members, the police is not booking Raja Warring in the case. SAD will provide all necessary assistance to the victim family and ensure justice is done in the matter,” he said adding that Warring would have to face the music for the sins committed by him.
‘ERRING OFFICERS TO BE TAKEN TO TASK BY SAD GOVT’
Also condemning the “goodaism” unleashed by the Congress party in the constituency, Sukhbir urged the SAD workers to be resolute and ensure the victory of Akali candidates. “Even though there is a complete collapse in the law and order situation and the State Election Commission (SEC) has also abrogated its constitutional duty, SAD would not be cowed down by such tactics,” he said while making it clear that officers who murdered democracy and its institutions at the instance of the Congress party would be taken to task once the SAD formed a government in the State.
SAD COMPLAINTS AGAINST CHANGING OF VOTER WARDS AFTER ALLOTMENT OF SYMBOLS TO CANDIDATES
Complaining to the State Election Commission (SEC) regarding changing of wards of many voters in Batala Municipal Committee elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday urged it to immediately take action against the same.
SAD’s senior vice president and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema, in a complaint filed with the SEC, said that it is forwarding a complaint in this regard from Batala MLA Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal in which he has disclosed how the ruling party was trying to change wards of several hundreds voters even after allotment to election symbol to the candidates.
Citing example, SAD said that in Ward No 15 of the city, SAD candidate Inderjit Kaur is contesting from the ward, but in this case, her vote along with several hundred others have been transferred to Ward No 17 .”Similarly, the SAD head office is receiving several complaints from different party leaders in which it has been alleged that even after allotment of election symbol, hundreds of votes have been transferred to other wards on the instance of ruling party leaders,” he said.
Cheema urged the SEC to take notice of complaints where there are such complaints of changing of wards and other election malpractices and get these inquired on priority basis and take action against the guilty in these cases.
AAP ACCUSES AKALIS, BJP, CONG FOR BRINGING CONTRACT FARMING LAWS TO RUIN FARMERS
Days after the Union Home Minister Narendra Singh Tomar highlighted the 2013 Contract Farming Act in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday targeted the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress for “colluding and taking anti-farmer decisions”.
“While in power in Punjab, the SAD-BJP combine had introduced the Contract Farming Act, 2013, and started enacting laws to ruin the farmers,” said AAP”s Punjab unit co-incharge Raghav Chadha, during a press conference.
Chadha, who is on state’s visit to campaign for the party candidates for the municipal bodies’ elections, said that now the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central Government had come up with this black law which was originally made by the Akali Dal under which a farmer could be fined and sentenced to imprisonment for violating the Contract Farming Act.
“The opposition Congress, in the then Punjab assembly, is also responsible for bringing this Act, which had agreed to pass it unanimously in the Punjab Assembly instead of protesting against this anti-farmers law,” he said.
ELECTION DUTY ABSENTEEISM TO BE STRICTLY DEALT WITH: MOHALI ELECTORAL OFFICER
Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan, who is District’s Electoral Officer, on Monday made it clear that any officer or official showing callousness towards the job or willful absenteeism from the election duty will be strictly dealt with.
“In the democratic setup, conduct of free and fair elections is one of the most important duties of the administration. An officer or official showing callousness towards the job or willful absenteeism from duty will be strictly dealt with,” he said during a meeting held to review the preparedness for the forthcoming elections to the civic bodies.
The assertion came after Dayalan took strong note of the “unanimous report” from all the returning officers that quite a few of the staff deployed on poll duty under one pretext or the other try to evade duty; while in some cases, external pressure to cancel duty is also being exerted. Visibly irate, the DEO made it crystal clear that any attempts at outside influence would be viewed as obstructing the process of elections and serious action would be taken in such cases.
“In case of absenteeism from duty, administration would write against the erring officer or official to the respective Department’s Administrative Secretaries for strict departmental and penal action as the need be as well as to the State Election Commission for action under relevant sections of Representation of the People Act (RP Act), 1951, and Punjab State Election Act,1994,” he added.