Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, minister Laljit Bhullar should resign, says SAD

Gurdaspur/Chandigarh, September 1

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal today said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Panchayati Raj Minister Laljit Bhullar were responsible for dissolving panchayats six months before the expiry of their term.

Officers were forced to sign paper

The officers were browbeaten into signing the file. The CM and the Panchayati Raj Minister should resign immediately — Sukhbir Badal, SAD Chief

Speaking during the conclusion of Chinj mela (village sports festival) here, he said the duo should take responsibility and resign and action should be taken against them, instead of two IAS officers.

“The officers were browbeaten into signing the file. The CM and the Panchayati Raj minister should resign immediately,” he said.

The SAD chief also backed the ‘one-nation, one-election’ concept, saying there was a need for evolving a nationwide consensus on the issue.

“The idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections will provide much needed stability in the country, besides curbing wasteful expenditure. In the present system, the government machinery remains in a continuous election mode, which affects smooth governance and development,” he said.

Meanwhile, at a press conference in Chandigarh, senior SAD leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder appreciated the role played by Youth Akali leader Gurjit Singh Talwandi in the matter of the panchayats’ dissolution. Talwandi had filed a PIL against the government’s decision.

Bhunder and Prof Chandumajra said the AAP government had insulted panchayat members by virtually calling them robbers.