With an eye on 2017 State Assembly polls, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal is all set to woo the “fairer sex”. SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday asked the party’s women wing, Istri Akali Dal, not just to intensify its campaign for enrolment, but also organise five massive rallies to mobilise womenfolk.
Sukhbir, who also attended the Istri Akali Dal’s meeting, made several key announcements, including special trains for women for ‘Takht Darshan’, 2,000 skill development centres to train women for self-employment, among other things, in an apparent attempt to lure the State’s female voters.
He has also asked the women wing president Bibi Jagir Kaur to launch a concerted drive to strengthen party cadre at grassroot level.
Presiding over a State-level meeting with office bearers of Istri Akali Dal, Sukhbir said that five major rallies would be organised in the month of November in Majha, Doaba, Malwa-I, Malwa-II and Malwa-III to aware the workers about party programs and policies.
“These gathering will lay the foundation of ‘Mission-2017’ to make hat-trick of the incumbent regime,” he said while giving directions to Bibi Jagir Kaur to announce the organisational structure by October this year so that needful arrangement and preparations could be made for the upcoming rallies and party programs.
Emphasising the need of involving more and more women in party social-political activities, Sukhbir asked IAD chief to hold women wing meetings in each district of the state to ensure massive enrolments and maximum participation of women in party programs.
“Elected women representatives like Zila Parishad and Block Samiti members, Sarpanches and Panches and councillors in urban areas should be involved in the ongoing development and success story of Punjab. Their active participation could take Punjab to new heights of success,” he said.
Sukhbir also announced that the State Government would ensure maximum and active participation of women in corporations and boards including district planning committees. The hard-workers, dedicated and committed workers would be awarded with due representations in the party cadre as well as Government, he said.
Apprising the gathering about the welfare plan, he said that they were going to roll out a “unique educational plan” under which backward, remote and border areas would have 50 girls colleges to impart quality education. “Punjab Government is contemplating to setup 2,000 skill development centres exclusively for women after every four villages so they could uplift and change their lifestyle accordingly through self-employment,” he said.
Sukhbir also announced that Punjab Government was contemplating to start train especially for women to pay obeisance at religious Takht Sahibs (temporal seats). “As per the tentative plan, we would start a dedicated and exclusive train to Sri Hazur Sahib and other Takhts also for ‘Takht Darshans’ only for women,” he said.
He also asked Bibi Jagir Kaur to hold monthly meetings of office bearers of IAD to boost up the women cadre so that ‘’Mission-2017’ could be achieved.