Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was here on Friday, faced the ire of youths in a few villages who complained of being ignored by the minister during the sangat darshan programme.
Harsimrat usually interacts with youths in villages where sangat darshan programmes are held and also provides sports kits to aspiring sportspersons of village-level clubs. When she visited Manbibrian village, one group of young men were allegedly denied permission to meet the minister, after which the youths raised anti-Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) slogans.
Similarly, youths in Barnala village were disappointed when the minister failed to address their concerns. “There are many clubs in one village and only those members who are close to the village head get to meet Harsimrat,” said an agitated youth from Barnala village.
It is not an isolated incident as HT has found that a lot of physically challenged persons and senior citizens do not get easy access to the minister during sangat darshan programmes.
No comments on turmoil in NIT
{{/usCountry}}No comments on turmoil in NIT
{{/usCountry}}The Bathinda member of Parliament (MP), who had criticised Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar for his comments on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, however, refrained from commenting on the ongoing turmoil in the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar.
‘Kejriwal a dictator’
While attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), she said AAP chief and Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal ran the government like a dictator and only those who satisfied his ego were allowed to stay in the party.
She visited several villages, including Bhai Desa, Manbibriyan, Barnala, Heerewala and Chakerian, and distributed funds worth Rs 2 crore for development works.
At Narinderpura village, she laid the foundation stone of water works to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.55 crore and at Bhai Desa village, she laid the foundation stone for widening the Mansa-Bathinda road to Peerkhana Burj Rathi at a cost of Rs 14 lakh. She also distributed sewing machines to 60 women under the Nanhi Chhaan campaign.