Gearing up for the forthcoming local bodies elections in the State, Punjab Congress on Monday demanded total transparency in the process for the delimitation of wards by making it online.
The party submitted a memorandum to this effect to the Governor Shivraj Patil and the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The situation was reviewed by the State party chief Partap Singh Bajwa at the meeting of the district presidents followed by that of the heads of frontal organizations.
Both these meetings were attended by the party’s national secretary 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 Bajwa.
The PPCC chief said that 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 sanitation to aggressively confront the Akali Dal-BJP combine.
Bajwa said that 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 that the delimitation of wards was being done as per the whims and fancies of the leaders, halqa in-charges 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.