Cong workers express annoyance against govt at Jakhar meets
Congress workers of Jalandhar urban and rural units minced no words in expressings annoyance against their own government during the two meetings with state party president Sunil Jakhar in Jalandhar on Monday. Jakhar is meeting workers and local leaders in every districts for feedback on the state government’s functioning and to know about the their grievances.
Congress workers of Jalandhar urban and rural units minced no words in expressings annoyance against their own government during the two meetings with state party president Sunil Jakhar in Jalandhar on Monday.
Jakhar is meeting workers and local leaders in every districts for feedback on the state government’s functioning and to know about the their grievances. During the meetings, the workers raised many issues, including Bargari sacrilege, blue cards for ration, ‘mafia rule’ in transport and illegal mining and political appointments of bureaucrats by ignoring leaders.
Adviser to CM and Urmar MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian, party legislators Pargat Singh, Hardev Singh Laddi, Sushil Rinku, Bawa Henry, Surinder Chaudhary, Rajinder Beri, Jalandhar mayor Jagdish Raja, halqa-in-charges and other senior leaders were present. The frustration among workers was evident at the meetings as they jostled to get hold of the mike to flag grievances. They accused the bureaucrats and police of favouring Shiromani Akali Dal workers.
A woman worker started crying, saying she was being falsely implicated in a case and nobody was listening to her. A worker showed his broken phone, reminding the party chief of free smartphone promise.
‘No justice in Bargari sacrilege case may cost dear’
Satnam Singh of Bhogpur and others raised the Bargari sacrilege issue at the Urban Estate meeting, saying justice was nowhere in sight even as he had faced criminal cases for staging protest against the previous SAD government. Baljit Singh Johal of Nakodar said people will not spare the Congress if the government fails to deliver justice or go soft on the issue.
“There is feeling among the people that the party leadership has colluded with the Shiromani Akali Dal on the issue, said one Gurbinder Samra at the urban segment meeting. The local leaders demanded action in the matter so that they have something to say during the next assembly elections.
‘Smart cards for ration’
The state food and supply department was the main target of the block or village-level workers for not furnishing smart cards for free ration (there is a move to replace blue cards with smart cards) even as government has completed three years. “We are harassed by the inspectors and officials of the food supply department when we go to them for making smart cards of villagers,” said speakers.
‘Mafia in transport, mining active’
Jasbir Singh Bal from Shahkot said sand mafia was active in the Shahkot area in connivance with the government officials and police.Surjit Singh at the urban meeting raised the transport mafia issue regarding monopoly of a private company on the Delhi airport route. A councillor raised fund crunch in municipal corporation leading to delay in development works.
Govt committed to punish guilty in sacrilege cases: Jakhar
Jakhar told the workers that the state government was committed to punish the guilty in Bargari sacrilege and police firing incidents as state agencies were collecting evidence. He said some people were enjoying authority in the government even as they had no role in bringing Congress to power. “The meetings are aimed at giving ground-level feedback to the CM,” he said.
He attacked Shiromani Akali Dal on the false cases, saying the Congress government cancelled more than 4,000 cases wrongly registered during the Akali rule. He also accused the Centre of not releasing ₹4,100 crore of GST compensation to the state.
Jakhar backs Cong leader Lally over ED raids
JALANDHAR The Congress has stepped in to back Jalandhar district (rural) Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Lally over enforcement directorate (ED) raids on half-a-dozen properties belonging to him and his close aides for alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations. State party chief Sunil Jakhar on Monday said it was an arm-twisting tactic of the Bharatiya Janata Party as they practised the same on the other Congress leaders in other states as well.