Bhagwant Mann not raising Punjab’s issues: SAD

Chandigarh, May 29

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann why he was not taking up the issues of Punjab with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal during his ongoing “Bharat yatra”.

In a statement here, senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said it was shocking that the CM had visited various states and met prominent leaders there to solicit their support against the ordinance promulgated by the Centre.

Asking Mann to explain his silence to Punjabis, Cheema said, “Never in the history of Punjab has the state had a CM who has become completely subservient to the wishes of another state to the extent that he does not even use available forums to demand justice for his state.”

Regarding the state’s claim over Chandigarh, the SAD leader said, “Mann has not spoken out against the repeated attempts of the Centre to dilute Punjab’s claim over the UT. This includes not maintaining the 60:40 ratio in postings of Punjab and Haryana officers, respectively, and allocation of central pay scales to Chandigarh employees.”