MLA Pinki’s name not mentioned on foundation stone, Congmen protest

Tuesday, 10/11/2015

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FEROZEPUR: Congressmen, led by local party legislator (MLA) Parminder Singh Pinki, held a protest for not mentioning the MLA’s (Pinki’s) name on the foundation stone of a beautification work in the town, which was scheduled to be inaugurated by Punjab forest minister Chunni Lal Bhagat on Monday.

Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma (extreme left) and others pose after laying the foundation stone of a beautification project in Ferozepur on Monday; (below) The demolished wall, where the foundation stone of another beautification project was scheduled to be installed for inauguration by cabinet minister Chunni Lal Bhagat in Ferozepur on Monday.

However, the visit of the minister was cancelled and the inauguration did not take place.

The Congressmen reached the site near historical Gurdwara Saragarhi and started raising slogans against the state government and the local administration.

A heavy police force reached the site. However, the wall built for the installation of the foundation stone was demolished by some unidentified person.

“Ignoring the elected representatives’ contribution in the development works at the behest of political masters, is clear-cut violation of the democratic system as well as instructions of the state government. Stern action must be taken against erring officials or we will launch an agitation,” said Chamkaur Singh Dhindsa, president of the District Congress Committee.

“Even in the recent session of the state assembly, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had asked bureaucrats to give due respect to the elected representatives, especially MLAs and MPs, but no action seems to have been taken at the ground level,” said Pinki.

“The same sort of gimmick was resorted to by the local administration during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hussainiwala on March 23 when names of two Congress MLAs of Ferozepur district were not mentioned in the invitation card while names of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) halqa in-charges were included in the card,” said Pinki.

“I had raised this matter in the assembly, but nothing sees to have changed despite the assurance by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal,” said Pinki.

Deputy commissioner DPS Kharbanda, however, rebuffed the charges of ignoring the Congress MLA and claimed that the administration was giving due respect to each and every elected representative of all political parties.

The visit of Bhagat was cancelled but, later in the day, Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Kamal Sharma, with a battery of local officials, laid foundation stones of three other beautification works in the town estimated to cost `76 lakh.