M A I N   N E W S

Amarinder’s date with erstwhile subjects
Sir Chhotu Ram remembered
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Narwana, February 2
People at a public meeting here today gave the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, a rousing reception.

The meeting, held at Chhotu Ram Park, was organised by the Chhotu Ram Vichar Manch and the Chhotu Ram Memorial Trust to remember the late farmer leader on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary.

Mr Birender Singh, Finance Minister of Haryana, who also happens to be the only grandchild of the late Sir Chhotu Ram, was the key man behind today’s programme. The main purpose of the rally was obviously to underscore Mr Birender Singh’s connection with Sir Chhotu Ram, though that purpose was seldom mentioned.

The two stated objectives of the rally were to create public opinion against the notorious practice of female foeticide and tighten the bonding between Punjab and Haryana. Both these objectives caught fancy of the responsive crowd who had assembled at the park.

For the Punjab Chief Minister, who is a scion of the royal family of Patiala, the visit was also in the nature of reviving acquaintance with his erstwhile subjects, Narwana and its neighbourhood earlier formed a part of the princely state of Patiala.

The Punjab Chief Minister, who was greeted with cheers right from the time he arrived at the function, got the loud applauds when he said he was ready for a more active cooperation between Punjab and Haryana. Capt Amarinder Singh said he had been actively trying to have closer relations with the Pakistani state of Punjab. “I would like to do the same with Haryana which is in my own country”, he said.

The idea of bringing Punjab and Haryana closer was earlier dealt with emphatically by Mr Birender Singh. He said the Punjabis, who were controlling the country’s Army and legislature, were dominating Pakistan. He said if Punjab and Haryana could join hands, people of this region would be able to dominate India also in the same manner.

This was the Punjab Chief Minister’s first participation in a public meeting in Haryana ever since the Punjab Assembly passed the controversial Bill related to abrogation of the water-sharing agreement. Understandably, none of the speakers in today’s meeting mentioned the contentious issue of SYL or the controversial Bill mentioned above.

On the issue of female foeticide, the Punjab Chief Minister said the state government was keeping a close watch or all clinics having ultrasound machines. While 77 doctors had been booked on charges of carrying out sex determination tests, the licence of one doctor had been cancelled under the PNDT Act, he said.

Mr Birender Singh said Sir Chhotu Ram did not have any son and was fit to be considered an ideal to inspire those fighting the battle against female foeticide. He said whenever anyone told Sir Chhotu Ram (who was Revenue Minister to Punjab before Independence that he should have had a son, Chhotu Ram used to reply that all farmers of Punjab were his sons.

Even though the rally did not have any political overtones, the presence of Mr Jai Prakash, MP from Hisar, and Mr Venod Sharma, Power and PWD (B&R) Minister of Haryana, is bound set the tongue wagging in the political circles. Both these leaders are considered close to the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and ordinarily not expected to attend a function organised to promote Mr Birender Singh’s cause.

After the meeting was over, the Punjab Chief Minister flagged off a march organised by the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha to create awareness against female foeticide. Swami Agnivesh, who heads the sabha, was present. He also spoke in the meeting and showered accolades on Mr Birender Singh for showing “genuine concern” on the issue of female foeticide.