Join hands to save Punjab's rights: CM Bhagwant Mann to parties

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Chandigarh, April 1

“All parties will have to work together for saving the rights of Punjab. Thus, I seek your whole-hearted support on this sensitive issue, which has immense emotional and social significance.”

This appeal was made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to all political parties, while he was addressing the Vidhan Sabha on the official resolution seeking the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab.

Sharing his past experience as a parliamentarian, Mann exhorted all MPs and MLAs from the state to exhibit the same spirit of unity as often demonstrated by leaders of southern states to safeguard the rights of their respective states by rising above the vested interests.

Lambasting the BJP-led Centre, he said its leadership indulged in vendetta politics, especially in states like Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal.

Mann also assailed the Centre for “usurping the powers vested in the states by tinkering with the federal structure to pursue their political interests”. Citing an example, he said the Centre thrusted three farm laws and later repealed them after buckling under farmers’ angst across the country.

Referring to the indifferent treatment meted out to Punjab by the Centre, Mann narrated an incident when the Pathankot airbase was attacked in 2016 and the state police accompanied by central security forces valiantly eliminated terrorists. To his utter surprise, Mann said the Centre raised a bill of Rs 7.50 crore for providing the central forces to the state. He said this amount was finally waived with the personal intervention of then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh following his meeting along with his fellow MP Sadhu Singh. Mann said, “It is highly paradoxical that the border state which is facing the brunt of terrorism is also made to pay hefty amount on account of its security.” He dared the Centre to clarify, “Don’t you consider Punjab as a part of the country?”

On the issue of drugs, the CM said he failed to understand despite the border of Rajasthan, having an area more than 2.5 times and little over half of J&K’s border along with Pakistan without fencing, was hardly facing any problem of drugs, while Punjab was still grappling with the menace. He said “chitta is being manufactured here in the state and those involved in such heinous activities and responsible for “genocide of Punjabi youth” would be soon unmasked and brought to book.

Unite to get demands met from centre

In larger public interest, all of us should unite on a common platform to get the justifiable demands of the state implemented from the Centre. — Bhagwant Mann, CM