Chandigarh, July 15
The Shiromani Akali Dal on Friday requested Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to direct Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to withdraw his statement seeking land for the state Vidhan Sabha, saying it amounted to surrendering Punjab’s rights on Chandigarh.
An opposition party delegation also requested the Governor to tell the Union home minister that Punjabis will not tolerate the transfer of even one inch of land in Chandigarh to Haryana, according to a statement.
The Centre recently announced land for setting up an additional building for the Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh. Mann, in a tweet, had also demanded a similar allotment to his state, which drew sharp reaction from political leaders of Punjab.
Punjab has inalienable right over its capital, Badal had recently maintained, saying his party will not allow the Centre to allot land to Haryana for setting up an additional building of Haryana Assembly here.
Requesting the Governor to direct the Punjab chief minister to protect the interests of Punjab, the delegation said Mann “had not protested against the steady erosion of Punjab’s rights in Chandigarh, including the creation of the UT cadre, implementation of central pay scales and dilution of the status of Punjabi language.
Asserting that Chandigarh is an inalienable part of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal told the Governor that this was ratified during the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966 and later by way of the Rajiv-Longowal accord, which had been ratified by both Houses of parliament as well as the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.
He said accordingly the Governor should apprise the centre of the situation and recommend transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab.
The delegation also briefed the Governor that the “uncertainty created by the action of the Punjab government and the Union home minister could vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the state”.
“We appeal to you to take appropriate steps to ensure Punjabis that Chandigarh belongs to them and will not be taken away from them under any circumstances,” the SAD delegation said.
The SAD also requested that all decisions taken by the UT administration from time to time which were “against the letter and spirit” of the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966, including the “dilution” of Punjabi language status and violation of 60:40 ratio in posting of officials, should be reviewed.
The delegation also requested the Governor to direct the Punjab government to order a CBI inquiry into the withdrawal of security to the slain singer Sidhu Moosewala despite grave warnings of the threat to his life.
The SAD leaders claimed that recent revelations by the Delhi Police have disclosed that the mastermind in the murder case gangster Goldy Brar had directed the shooters to attack Moosewala on the very next day of the withdrawal of the security cover.
The SAD also told the Governor that the appointment of Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha as the chairman of a temporary advisory panel by the Mann government was unconstitutional.
It demanded the appointment be scrapped immediately. The delegation included Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema.
Direct Punjab Chief Minister to withdraw land-for-assembly statement, Shiromani Akali Dal urges Governor
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