Taking strict note of “baseless” statements by Akali leaders on the issue of state capital, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday slammed the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership for diluting the claim of state on Chandigarh.
“Everyone knows who shifted the State Government offices from Chandigarh to Mohali and formed the New Chandigarh,” said Mann after paying obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib, along with his wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, his mother Harpal Kaur, and sister Manpreet Kaur.
Mincing no words, Mann said that the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal had connived with the governments at the Centre to dilute the claims of Punjab over Chandigarh. He categorically asked Sukhbir to explain why they were tight-lipped about Chandigarh when they were partners in the successive government at the Centre.
“The Badals have remained mum for the sake of their vested political interests,” he said, adding that even the Congress leadership remained mute spectator on the entire matter.
The Chief Minister further said that the Akalis and Congress were trying to score brownie points before the media by issuing baseless statements. “AAP Government is committed for the well being of every strata of society. Every issue is being resolved after active consultation with the general public,” he said.
Also assailing the Congress party, Mann said that its Ministers had sold the trees of the state. “On the contrary, AAp Government is committed for making Punjab clean, green and pollution free. AAP government will restore the pristine glory of the state in the coming days.” he said.
“HAVE I GIVEN IN WRITING THAT PUNJAB HAS NO CLAIM ON CHANDIGARH”
Defending his controversial tweet demanding a piece of land in Chandigarh from the Centre for a separate Vidhan Sabha building, Mann asked if he had given in writing that the state had no claim over Chandigarh.
Mann’s tweet on Saturday came after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar made a similar demand for building a separate state assembly in Chandigarh during a meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Jaipur.
Criticising Mann over his tweet, SAD president Sukhbir Badal had stated that Punjab Chief Minister had surrendered Punjab’s rights over the Union Territory with the demand.
“Have I given in writing that we have no claim over Chandigarh? Already their assembly is in Chandigarh. If more land is being given to them, then why should we not be considered?” he asked.
In his tweet on Saturday, Mann said: “I appeal to the Central Government that on the lines of Haryana, Punjab should also be allotted land in Chandigarh to construct its own assembly…There has been a demand for a long time that the Punjab-Haryana High Court should also be separated…For this also, please, the Central Government should provide land in Chandigarh…”
MANN SOLD PUNJAB’S RIGHTS OVER CHD AT KEJRIWAL’S INSTANCE FOR POLITICAL GAINS IN HARYANA: SAD
SAD on Monday said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had sold Punjab’s right on its capital Chandigarh at the instance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal for petty political gains in Haryana.
“It is shocking that the Chief Minister had acted as a rubber stamp and jeopardized Punjab’s right over Chandigarh by asking the Union Government to allot land to the State for a new Vidhan Sabha and High Court in the Union Territory when it already had both institutions. It seems even the Chief Minister cannot defend the indefensible and this is why he failed to give any answer when questioned as to why he had surrendered Punjab’s rights over Chandigarh to Haryana. It is obvious that Bhagwant Mann is a party to Kejriwal’s game plan to surrender Chandigarh to allow AAP to take political benefit for the same in Haryana,” said former minister Daljit Singh Cheema.
He said that now, the stage was being set to sell Punjab’s river waters through the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal with the appointment of Raghav Chadha as the chairman of the party’s Advisory Board. “This move is tantamount to appointing Chadha as the de-facto chief minister of Punjab who will now officially take all decisions which are otherwise in the purview of the chief minister. The SAD condemns the formation of this Advisory Board which had made the office of the chief minister of the State a rubber stamp,” he added.