VOICE OF EX-SERVICEMEN PUNJAB

Lambi protest to raise grave issues: Manpreet

PPCC vice-president says the protest will be peaceful and any attempt to block it will spoil government’s image

Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal addresses party workers in Bathinda on Friday. a Tribune photograph

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 10

In case the state government tries to create any hurdle for the Congress protest in Lambi on June 18, the results will be detrimental to its own image, said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Manpreet Singh Badal during a district-level meeting of party workers held here today.

He announced that the protest would be held under the leadership of PPCC chief Captain Amrinder Singh and as part of the protest, party leaders and workers would sit outside the Lambi police station.

Badal said the protest would be held in a peaceful manner and it was an attempt by the party to raise issues perturbing the people of the state and get justice for them.

“During the protest, the party will raise issues like MSP for sugarcane, delay in the payment for procured foodgrain, fake cases registered against Congress workers and cash for job scam among others,” he said.

“SGPC member Dyal Singh Kolianwali, who is known to be close to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, has been accused of selling jobs in lieu of money and still the state government is yet to take action against him. This is the reason why the SAD-BJP combine is losing the trust of the people of Punjab,” he added.

Reacting to the ‘Udta Punjab’ controversy, Manpreet accused the state government of putting pressure on the Central Board for Film Certification to get some portions of the film censored.

PPCC vice-president Kewal Singh Dhillon also addressed the district-level meeting of party workers and claimed that the party had prepared the shroud of SAD-BJP and the party’s protest in Lambi would be the last nail in the coffin of the SAD-BJP alliance in the state.

He urged the youth leaders of the party to keep their calm and participate in the protest in a peaceful manner, adding that the party workers were prepared to fight any attempt by the state government to dampen the protest.

Other senior district Congress leaders and members were present during the meeting.

Turmoil within SAD now in Shahkot too

ribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 9

After Jalandhar Cantonment, Phillaur and Adampur constituencies, the political turmoil within the SAD has now even spread to Shahkot represented by Transport Minister and president of district SAD (rural) Ajit Singh Kohar.

Today, a three-time SGPC member and former circle president of the party Shingara Singh Lohian held a press conference alleging wrong selections in Shahkot constituency by Kohar.

Lohian, who has also been the state vice president of BC Cell, said his seniority had been ignored in the recent appointments. He would lodge a complaint against the biased attitude of Kohar with party president and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal upon his return from foreign tour.

AAP holds rally on law & order situation in dist

AAP activists hold a protest over the deteriorating law and order situation in Jalandhar on Thursday. Tribune Photo: Malkiat Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 9

Taking up cudgels against the SAD-BJP government over the deteriorating law and order situation in Jalandhar, the AAP today held a huge rally in the city.

Activists carried placards bearing slogans like “Vigar gai sab kanoon vyavastha, Aam Admi ho gaya sasta”; “Badal tabbar kha kha phulleya, Aam Aadmi sarkan te ruleya”; “Aisa Jharoo bajjuga, Badal, Captain bhajjuga”.

About 3,000 people of the city participated in the rally, which was held against the recent murders and collapse of law and order situation in the district.

The AAP primarily protested against the murder of Manpreet Singh (20), a student of Lyallpur Khalsa College, who died after being fatally injured by 20 bike-borne youths on May 25. Manpreet’s friend, Munish, who was also attacked, is still serious.

The party also resented the murder of businessman Anil Kumar, alias Billa, who had been shot dead by a masked bike-borne youth near the Jalandhar Press Club, close to a police party.

AAP workers, led by the zone coordinator HS Cheema and zonal observer Rajiv Chaudhary, submitted a memorandum to ADC, Jalandhar, demanding action against the culprits perpetrating the incidents.

Zonal observer Rajiv Chaudhary said, “A host of incidents, including murders and other crime in the district, have put a huge question mark on the prevailing law and order situation in the city. People do not feel safe and murders and crimes are being committed in broad daylight. The name of a local MLA has also surfaced in shielding the murder accused of a college youth. Many small incidents have also been happening on a regular basis and have put the safety of the city residents in jeopardy. We demand action against the culprits behind all these crimes.”

The huge gathering comprised primarily of party members and residents who joined in to raise their protest against the deteriorating law and order situation.  The party’s district mahila wing president Rajwinder Kaur, former journalist Major Singh, who recently joined the party, Jalandhar sector in charge Atin Agnihotri, among others, were also present on the occasion.