Implement Punjabi in UT: Congress leaders to PM
Punjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar and former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Saturday led a state party delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and demanded the implementation of Punjabi in all offices of Chandigarh.
Punjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar and former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Saturday led a state party delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and demanded the implementation of Punjabi in all offices of Chandigarh.
The leaders also called for maintaining 60:40 Punjab and Haryana staff ratio in the UT administration. Legislators Tarlochan Singh and Balbir Singh Sidhu, who were part of the delegation, told the PM that Punjab had first right to Chandiarh as capital but Punjabi had not received its due place in the city as official language.
Even in the matter of recruitment in the UT, candidates from Punjab were not considered because the knowledge of Hindi was mandatory, said the legislators. The delegation demanded the implementation of Punjabi in all schools and government offices in Chandigarh, and all signs to be written in Punjabi along with English and Hindi.
In a press statement issued here, the Congress delegation said it had informed the PM that at the time of reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, all its assets, including Chandigarh, were shared in 60:40 ratio with Haryana. However, with passage of time, the UT administration had started reducing the strength of Punjab employees in Chandigarh. The MLAs want the balance restored until the fate of Chandigarh was decided. The PM agreed to ensure it.
Legislators Charanjit Singh Channi, Brahm Mahindra, Jagmohan Singh Kang, and Randeep Singh; state party spokesman Sukhpal Singh Khaira; and party leader Gurpartap Singh Mann were part of the delegation.