Akali Dal questions CM for not taking up discrimination against Punjab

Chandigarh, May 29

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to explain why he was not taking up a single case of discrimination against Punjab during his ongoing "Bharat Yatra" with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

In a statement here, senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said it was shocking that Mann had visited various states and met his counterparts and prominent political leaders to solicit their support against the ordinance promulgated by the Central government to make the Lt Governor of Delhi the final authority on postings and transfers, but had failed to raise injustices done to Punjab.

Asking the Chief Minister to explain his silence to Punjabis, Cheema said "never in the history of Punjab has the state witnessed a Chief Minister who has become completely subservient to the wishes of another state to the extent that he does not use even available forums to demand justice for his state".

Asserting that Chandigarh was also a Union Territory like Delhi, Cheema said "Bhagwant Mann has not spoken out against the repeated manner in which the Centre had diluted Punjab's claim over Chandigarh. This includes not maintaining the 60:40 ratio in postings of Punjab and Haryana officers respectively in the UT, creation of UT cadre which has robbed Punjab officials of posts in both the civil and police departments, allocation of central pay scales to Chandigarh employees and doing away with Punjabi in all official functioning".

The SAD leader said the Chief Minister had also failed to take up the issue of the dilution of the federal spirit of the Constitution by decisions, including extending the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15 km from the international border to 50 km and removing Punjab from decision making in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) by doing away with its member in the board.

He said the Chief Minister had even not protested when Punjabi was removed as a minor subject in the CBSE.