VOICE OF EX-SERVICEMEN PUNJAB

Youth ‘captains’ bat for Amarinder

Group captains of the IPAC during a discussion in Bathinda on Wednesday. photo: Vijay Kumar

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 8

The feedback of captains appointed by the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) for the Congress shows that there was a disconnect between the youth and the current party forums, including the National Student Union of India (NSUI) and the Youth Congress.

The issues facing the youth to be forwarded to the party high command for inclusion in the party manifesto were discussed during the special meeting today.

A cross section of captains from among 50 in the region, including Lovdeep Singh of Malwa College, Pankaj Soni, a diploma holder in Electronics, Deepak Kumar, a BA III student, Lovjot Singh, a diploma pass out from Guru Ram Das Polytechnic and Kuldip Singh, a graduate, shared their findings.

They expressed disappointment that a large number of the top youth leaders of the party were above 40 years and could not relate with the real issues facing the youth.

Representatives from different areas in the zone, including Maur, Talwandi, Bhuccho, Rampura and Bathinda (urban and rural), felt that the youth never had a platform earlier to communicate their expectations or grievances with the party leaders, leave aside any direct participation.

Lovdeep Singh said he was impressed with the offer of working on issues facing the youth of the state and had contacted his friends more than two months back.

Pankaj Soni said, “when Capt Amarinder Singh took oath on a ‘gutka’ that he will eradicate drugs from the state if voted to power, I trusted him,” he added.

Deepak Kumar said, “Me and my parents want someone to raise the flight of industry from the state and that agriculture is becoming unviable. We want the Congress to lead the way in taking up issues that concern the people of the state,” he said.

An IPAC functionary in the group discussion who had participated in the recent elections in Bihar said, “The public in Bihar is not that tech-savvy, particularly in the IT as compared to Punjab. Here people are talking about bigger issues like drugs and unemployment whereas a majority of people in Bihar were talking about basic facilities like sewerage, water and roads”.

AAP opposes road re-construction

Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 8

Activists of the Aam Aadmi Party today resolved to launch a signature campaign against re-construction of the Kandhwala road near Nai Abadi without laying a sewer line.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the request of Congress MLA Sunil Jakhar last year sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore to link Rajiv Nagar and Durga Nagari with the main sewer line on the Kandhwala road, but the work could not start due to delay in processing the tenders. Meanwhile, the Punjab Mandi Board took up the re-construction work on the same road, which courted controversy.

AAP leaders Prof PS Sidhu and Surinder Saluja said at a meeting today that some property dealers were misleading people by insisting on re-construction of the road without waiting for sewer line work.

In the past too the road had got damaged as waste water in the adjoining colonies had no disposal link. People had to drain out wastewater in the streets which finally damaged main road.

The AAP would launch a signature campaign to check wastage of tax payers’ money in such a manner, they said. A memorandum to the district administration has also been submitted in this regard.