E-Paper
Didn’t dilute Punjab’s claim over Chandigarh, says Mann
Chief Minister Mann had in a tweet on Saturday demanded separate land for the Punjab Vidhan Sabha as well as for a separate high court after the Centre granted land for a separate assembly to Haryana
: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday reacted strongly to his criticism by the opposition for demanding separate land for the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from the Centre, saying that his act does not dilute the state’s claim over Chandigarh and blamed the SAD leadership for the same by “conniving” with the governments at the Centre in the past for “vested political interests”.
The chief minister had in a tweet on Saturday demanded separate land for the Punjab Vidhan Sabha as well as for a separate high court after the Centre granted land for a separate assembly to Haryana.
The CM has been under fire from the opposition and other segments of the state that termed his demand as “dilution” of Punjab’s claim over its capital.
Reacting to the row, Mann said, “have I given to anyone in writing that I have diluted the claim of Punjab over Punjab? Haryana already has an assembly in Chandigarh. If the Centre gives it more land, why is Punjab being excluded while granting the land?”
Mann was interacting with the media during his first visit to the Golden Temple after his marriage last week. He was accompanied by his wife and mother.
Mann asserted that none other than Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal was making baseless statements on the issue of the state capital.
Slamming the SAD leadership for diluting the claim of the state on Chandigarh, he said, “everyone knows who shifted the state government offices from Chandigarh to Mohali and formed the new Chandigarh.”
“The then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir had connived with the governments at the Centre to dilute the claims of Punjab over Chandigarh,” he said.
Questioning Sukhbir on why they were “tight-lipped” about Chandigarh when they were partners in the government at the Centre, Mann said Badals have remained mum for the sake of their “vested political interests” and that even Congress leadership remained a “mute spectator” on the entire matter.
“Akalis and Congress are trying to score brownie points before the media by issuing baseless statements. My government is committed for the well-being of every section of society,” he said.
On the AAP government’s decision over appointing Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha as chairman of the advisory committee to the state government, he said, “all decisions are taken with consent of the people. For example, we prepared the budget after taking suggestions from the people. On same lines, we conducted a meeting with Public Action Committee (PAC) on the Mattewara jungle issue. Additionally, I called the PAC members to expand the Mattewara Jungle to promote the tourism.”
Mann also blamed former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh for paving the way for setting up of a textile park at Mattewara jungle along the Satluj river in Ludhiana and reiterated that the state government has decided not to allow any industrial unit to come up near Mattewara Forests.
He said that his government has launched a massive crackdown against the drug peddlers in the state and the target is to make Punjab a drug free state.
“Maintenance of law and order is the top priority of the state government. No one will be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace of the state,” he added.
Earlier, heavy deployment of police was seen inside and outside the shrine complex. Entry of the devotees to the sanctum sanctorum was restricted partially when Mann and his family paid obeisance there.
The newly married couple presented ‘rumala’ to the Guru Granth Sahib at the sanctum sanctorum. The SGPC felicitated them on the premises of the shrine.
Warring asks CM to write to Centre
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to withdraw his statement demanding land for a new assembly building and write a strong letter of protest to the Central government, objecting to its move to provide land in Chandigarh to Haryana for its Vidhan Sabha.
In a letter to the chief minister, Warring said that Chandigarh was, is and will always remain the capital of Punjab.
He said that this is very much mentioned in the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and subsequent accords and agreements have endorsed and reaffirmed Punjab’s exclusive claim over Chandigarh as its capital.
“However, your one single tweet/statement has raised a question mark over something that everyone, including the people of Haryana, accepts as an irreversible truth,” he wrote.
The Congress leader said that Haryana needs to build separate Vidhan Sabha and high court buildings but they should build these in their own territory.
“When they know Chandigarh belongs to Punjab, a fact and reality accepted by Haryana long back, why should they be allowed to construct their Vidhan Sabha and high court buildings in a place that they know does not belong to them,” he said, urging the chief minister set the record straight.
