SAD to hold ‘dharna’ at official residence of CM on June 15

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 9

 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced on Wednesday that it would hold a ‘dharna’ at the official residence of chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh here on June 15 to demand the immediate dismissal of Health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu besides institution of a CBI probe into the vaccine and Fateh kit scams.

The SAD said it would also demand that land being acquired in the state for national highways be done on the market rate along with award of displacement compensation to farmers. It said it would join farmers to protest against the ridiculously low compensation being offered to them for acquisition of their land for expressway projects in case the government did not amend this policy and offer compensation to farmers as per the policy of the erstwhile SAD-BJP government.

Party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal would lead the symbolic ‘dharna’ at the residence of the chief minister on June 15 and that it would be attended by the party’s senior leadership including core committee and PAC members, legislators, former legislators, constituency incharge, district presidents and youth office bearers.

The party spokesperson said the vaccine scam as well as Fateh kit scam had shaken the conscience of Punjabis who were shocked that an elected government and its members were profiting from their misery during a time of pandemic.

“Though the Congress government has admitted its fault in the vaccine scam whereby it sold vaccines to private hospitals at huge margins and in turn allowed the latter to charge steep premiums, no action has been taken against anyone. Instead of dismissing the Health minister, Capt Amarinder Singh is shielding him and even trying to silence the opposition by registering cases against senior Akali leaders for holding a peaceful and democratic protest to demand justice in the case”. He said the voice of the SAD could not be suppressed by such high handed tactics and that it would intensify its agitation further in case those guilty for the scam were not booked and punished.