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BJP neglected Punjabi community in Haryana: Congress
Subhash Batra said former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had twice announced the construction of ‘Panchnad Shahidi Samarak’, a memorial for Partition violence victims, in Kurukshetra, but it is yet to see the light of the day.
Former Haryana minister Subhash Batra and Congress MLA from Rohtak, Bharat Bhushan Batra on Monday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana neglected the long-pending demands of the Punjabi community, which constitutes 7-8% of the state’s population.
Addressing a press conference here, the MLA criticised the BJP’s decision to observe August 14 as ‘Vibhajan Vivishika Diwas’ (Partition Horrors Remembrance Day) in Kurukshetra, calling it an attempt to divide people.
“Our ancestors faced many horrors during Partition, and we are trying to move on, but the BJP is trying to reinforce the trauma by observing Partition Remembrance Day,” said Batra.
Subhash Batra said former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had twice announced the construction of ‘Panchnad Shahidi Samarak’, a memorial for Partition violence victims, in Kurukshetra, but it is yet to see the light of the day. He urged former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda to include formation of a Haryanvi Punjabi welfare board and allocation of ₹200 crore for the community’s welfare in the Congress manifesto. Batra further demanded that the party allocate 25 tickets for Punjabi community members in the upcoming assembly polls, one Rajya Sabha seat and three in the Lok Sabha for the next general polls.
