Upcoming 5 Central Bills not in Punjab’s interest, says Pargat

All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Pargat Singh on Saturday said the five Bills that the Centre planned to introduce in the winter session of Parliament were against the interests of Punjab.

He was referring to the Education Commission Bill, Atomic Energy Bill, Electricity Bill, National Highways Authority Bill and Chandigarh Bill during a media interaction at his residence.

He alleged that AAP and the BJP were misleading the people of Punjab, especially regarding the Chandigarh Bill. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann might claim that the Centre had withdrawn the Chandigarh Bill, no such withdrawal had actually taken place. “Mere statements are not enough,” he said.

Pargat Singh reaffirmed that Chandigarh was, and would always remain, the rightful capital of Punjab — a fact rooted in both history and law. “Our Constitution leaves no ambiguity. It states that when a new state is carved out, the parent state retains its capital. Then why should Punjab be treated differently? Who else, apart from Punjab, can claim ownership of Chandigarh? Both the BJP and AAP are deliberately misleading the people — trying to rob Punjab of what is rightfully and lawfully ours,” he said.

The Jalandhar Cantt MLA said he was not in agreement with the comments passed by PCC chief Amrinder S Raja Warring about former Union Home Minister Buta Singh in the recent Tarn Taran bypoll. Pargat said, “It does not behove of him to make such a comment being at that level.”

Expressing strong disapproval of the recent mock Assembly sessions of school students, Pargat condemned the move, “Organising a so-called Assembly session with children in attendance was not only inappropriate, but also an insult to the sanctity of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. They were trained only to mimic the leaders and exchange barbs. This was not the right kind of training for the future generations. It would have been better had they been made to debate crucial issues concerning Punjab.”