AAP to begin ‘Bolda Punjab’ dialogue from April 23

Thursday, 21/04/2016

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Chandigarh : To formulate a policy and shape its manifesto for the forthcoming assembly polls slated for 2017, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to initiate Punjab dialogue under the banner ‘Bolda Punjab’ on April 23 with various segments of the society.

AAP’s national spokesman and in-charge Punjab affairs Sanjay Singh on Wednesday said that time had come to inform the people of state the kind of programme and model the party wanted to give to the state for its inclusive and holistic development in the next five years once it came to power.

“What kind of solutions the party can offer to people of Punjab for elimination of drugs, to resolve the unemployment problem in the youth and how the spate of suicides could be stopped among the farmers,” said Sanjay Singh, adding that, “These issues would be discussed at length with the people as well as with the experts during the Punjab dialogue.”

The party leadership also introduced senior journalist Kanwar Sandhu as the head of the Manifesto Committee to initiate the Punjab dialogue with various sections of the society.

Giving details, Sandhu said the manifesto committee headed by him would reach out to 10 different segments of the society in the days to come to learn about their problems and hardships they have been facing in Punjab under various governments.

“These segments include farmers, youth, women, industrialists, traders, ex-servicemen, labourers, professionals, NRIs and government employees. Later, the committee would also reach to more segments to learn about their problems as well,” added Sandhu.

To begin with, the committee would initiate its first interaction with the youth on April 23 from Mohali. Similar interactions with the youth will also be held in other towns of Punjab which would continue till May 30, announced the AAP leadership, with also revealing that it would release the youth manifesto by first week of June, most likely through the party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The party leaders also mentioned that they had identified various issues to be discussed during the interactions which include farmers’ suicide, drugs, unemployment, corruption, health and education, mafia, crime against women, atrocities against Dalits and housing woes.

Senior AAP leader Ashish Khetan, Chander Suta Dogra, ENT surgeon Dr Sarika Verma, former education consultant Gagandeep Singh Chadha, Gurinder Singh Birring, Raghu Mahajan, and Mohammad Ovais who will perform key role in the campaign were also present on the occasion.

It’s learnt that the manifesto committee will also have special invitees such as Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, Faridkot MP Prof Sadhu Singh, Punjab Kisan Wing head G S Kang, Legal cell head Himmat Singh Shergill, Punjab women wing chief Prof Baljinder Kaur, Intellectual cell head R R Bhardwaj and Youth Wing head Harjot Singh Bains.

AAP against SYL
AAP national spokesman Sanjay Singh claimed that the AAP was completely against the construction of SYL as Punjab had no water to spare. He accused the Congress as the architect of SYL by laying its foundation stone, with also charging the SAD being instrumental in its construction.

New faces inducted
Former Chairperson Punjab Women Commission Parminder Kaur, international hockey player Hardeep Grewal, former Chairman Market Committee Sirhind advocate Narinder Singh Tiwana and former SGPC member Jarnail Singh Aulakh also joined the AAP on the occasion.

SAD says ‘Punjab Dialogue’ a cruel joke on Punjabis
Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday termed the “Punjab Dialogue” exercise by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a cruel joke for Punjabis, when it had failed to continue a similar dialogue initiated by it before the Delhi polls and had even put a stop to interactions with the public post government formation. In a statement here, SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra said it seemed the AAP, which was controlled by remote control from Delhi, did not know anything about the problems of the people of Punjab as they did not have any dialogue with them. “If the party knew about the problems of Punjabis it would not need to hold any such exercise which was being conducted with an eye on the polls only,” the SAD MP said.