Freedom fighters’ society seeks benefits from govt

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 22

Members of the Freedom Fighters and Families Welfare Society, Bathinda, on Monday said the interests of freedom fighters had been ignored by successive governments.

Speaking during a press conference, the members said they were mulling the decision to field a candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The members rued that even as seven decades had passed, the interests and welfare of the families of freedom fighters had never featured in the priority list of successive governments. They said political parties were only concerned about winning elections and coming to power.

Jagdish Singh Ghai, chairman of the society, said, “The interests of the family members of freedom fighters have been ignored for decades. Successive governments have adopted an indifferent attitude towards families whose forefathers had laid their lives for the freedom of the country. Leaders of different political parties have forgotten those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation.”

They said as compared to other states in the country, the state government had been lagging behind when it came to providing pension and other benefits to the family members of freedom fighters.

Manjit Inder Singh Brar, president, said, “During the SAD-BJP rule, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in 2014 had promised to induct family members of freedom fighters in different board committees and give them AC bus passes, but the state government did not issue an any notification. Later in 2018, CM Capt Amarinder Singh had promised tubewell connections and 300 units of power free for freedom fighters, but no notification was issued in this regard as well.”

The members said if the state government did not pay attention to their genuine demands, they would field a candidate for the Lok Sabha election. They demanded that Rs 5,000 pension (per month), bus pass, representation in board committees, free medical services/medicines and schools, colleges and roads must be named after freedom fighters.