To seek fiscal emergency in state, Congress MPs plan to meet President, says Bajwa
Saturday, 24/08/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130824/punjab.htm#5
Sangrur : Congress Members of Parliament and Union Ministers from Punjab will meet President Pranab Mukherjee in a couple of weeks and seek his intervention for declaring a financial emergency in Punjab as the state’s financial health was fast deteriorating.
Addressing a rally, held under the party’s mass contact programme at the local Grain Market, president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Partap Singh Bajwa said the financial condition of the state was so bad that the Badal Government had been selling state properties to run its affairs. He questioned Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as to how he could sell these properties of which he was a mere custodian and not the owner.
Bajwa said he was collecting data on the deteriorating financial health of the state after which, accompanied by all Congress MPs and Union Ministers Manish Tewari, Preneet Kaur and Santosh Chaudhary, he would meet the President and seek his intervention for declaring a financial emergency in Punjab.
The rally, organised by former Sangrur MLA Surinder Pal Singh Sibia was attended by thousands of party workers from various parts of the Sangrur constituency. Among those present at the rally were Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla, Mohali legislator Balbir Singh Sidhu, former ministers Jasbir Singh Sangrur and Gurcharan Singh Dirba and Sangrur district president Subhash Grover.
Bajwa announced that while sitting MP Singla would be the party candidate for the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, Surinder Pal Singh Sibia would be fielded from the Sangrur assembly seat in the next assembly elections.Sia
He said there would be no “parachute candidates” for the Sangrur parliamentary and assembly seats.
Bajwa showered praise on Singla for getting the Centre’s approval for a 500-bed cancer hospital at Ghabdan Kothi (near Sangrur), for ensuring the introduction of new trains in the area and upgradation of seven railway stations of his Lok Sabha constituency.
Bajwa said he would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court by September-end to file a case seeking unemployment allowance, as promised by SAD in its election manifesto, for 1.17 lakh unemployed youths registered with various employment exchanges in the state.
He said the Congress cadre had been told to register the names of 1,000 unemployed persons in each assembly segment. This exercise would be completed by August 31.
Bajwa demanded a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for flood-affected farmers of the state.
Indicating internal strife, three Congress leaders, Aman Arora (Sunam), Surjit Singh Dhiman (Amargarh) and Manjit Singh Jawandha (Uppli, near Sangrur) spoke against Congress leaders at the rally. They did not name anybody.
They asked the PPCC chief to identify the “black sheep” and save the party.
Internal rift to the fore again
Congress leaders Aman Arora from Sunam, Surjit Singh Dhiman from Amargarh and Manjit Singh Jawandha from Uppli, near Sangrur, spoke against Congress leaders, without naming anybody. They asked the PPCC chief to identify the “black sheep” in the party.
