Rain dampens Maghi spirit, SAD shifts conference venue

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, January 13

Rain is set to play a spoilsport for the Maghi celebrations in the town on Tuesday. While markets today wore a deserted look, the mela venue on the Malout road remained waterlogged. Further, the SAD has to change the venue of its political conference from the SGPC ground on the Malout road to a marriage palace on the outskirts of the town.

The Akalis had been preparing for the rally for the last fortnight and a “pandal” was set up on the SGPC ground, but rain ruined the arrangements.

This time, only the SAD and the SAD (A) are holding their political conferences, as the Congress and AAP have announced not to hold any political event on a religious occasion.

Meanwhile, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal today visited the town to take stock of the preparations. He directed the local leadership to change the venue to a marriage palace. He said, “The other parties are not holding their conferences as they fear that they might not get a good response.”

However, Congress and AAP leaders accused the SAD of flouting the Akal Takht direction of not holding political conferences on a religious occasion, terming it a “sacrilegious act”.

Sources said the Punjab Congress, on the request of local leadership, had late this evening decided to send a Cabinet Minister here on Tuesday to pay obeisance at the gurdwara on behalf of the government. However, no senior AAP leader is expected to come. The SAD (A) would hold its conference outside Dera Bhai Mastan Singh here.

A group of youngsters from Insaaf Team, Punjab, too, has decided to hold a roadshow to raise the demand of legalising poppy cultivation in the state.

Meanwhile, the district police have made strict security arrangements by deploying nearly 4,000 personnel. They are keeping a close watch on the activities through drones and CCTV cameras.

The civil administration, too, has set up some bus stops and help centres for the convenience of devotees, who come from far-off places to pay obeisance at the historic gurdwara and take a holy dip in the sarovar.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.