Punjab News Express
AMRITSAR: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today failed to raise the demands of Punjab-the transfer of Chandigarh and river waters dispute with Haryana at the state level Punjab Suba celebration function held at Amritsar where BJP president and Union finance minister Arun Jaitely were the chief guest.
Punjab Chief Minister has though took a political stand that SAD would not accept the anti-Punajb verdict by Supreme Court on the river waters issue but he ignored the fact that his party SAD is an constitute of BJP at center. The BJP has not taken stand in favour of Punjab in its submission before the Supreme court. Badal has not clarified that if Supreme Court gives an adverse judgemet, would SAD go into agitation or BJP will also be part of agitation. In any case int would be interesting to see a government protesting against itself.
Badal had always blamed the Congress governments at center for anti-Punjab stance, particularly on the issue of river waters distribition. Now for the last over two years NDA government of which SAD is part is ruling at the center. Badal has never taken up the issue of transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab and neither protested against center government stand against interests of Punjab. This could be the best opportunity for Badal to resolve the issues of Punjab when BJP is ruling at center and as well in Punjab and Haryana.
Neither Arun Jaitely who unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election from Amritsar and Amit Shah had given any assurance to Badal to resolve the vexed issues between Punjab and Haryana.
Even as Punjab government celebrated the Punjabi Suba divas, the Congress party as taken a dig on Akali dal and said that November 1 is day of celebrations for Haryana and Himachal Pardesh who were declared new states on that day but not for Punajb who lost its territories. Charanjit Singh Channi CLP leader said that Badal had honoured BJP leaders who were once part of Jan Sangh which opposed the demand of Punjabi Suba.
Capt Amarinder Singh PPCC president has blamed Akalis for shrinking the state to fulfill their own sectarian agenda.Captain Amarinder asked what was there to celebrate in the occasion, which laid the foundations for the continuous decline of the state. He said that it was not an occassion to celebrate but to seek aplolgy from people of Punjab to destroy the state. Both Haryana and Himachal have gained in all these years, he said.
From being one of India’s most prosperous state, Punjab had been reduced to being quite a backward one, said Captain Amarinder, adding that it was time to rescue the state from its current cycle of de-growth.