👉…Says those willing to work for Punjab would be accorded rousing welcome to party fold
👉🏾…Shall oppose anti-farmer ordinances at All-party meet slated for June 24: Harpal Cheema
Chandigarh, June 23 (Gurlal Singh)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in charge, Punjab affairs, Jarnail Singh on Tuesday said that the party would make its chief ministerial face public well before the Assembly polls in the state in 2022.
He said post the stunning victory of the AAP in Delhi third time in a row, the people of Punjab wanted to replicate the model in Punjab as well, saying they also wanted a government which work for the people these represent.
Addressing media person at party headquarters in Chandigarh on Tuesday, after his first-ever meeting with the state core committee, including party legislators, Jarnail Singh said some core issues of concern were discussed at the meeting, which included a roadmap on how to go about the 2022 Assembly polls in the state and other organisational matters.
Lauding the roll of the state leadership in the grim battle against Covid-19 epidemic, he said the party extended a helping to those in need in this hour of global distress. The party workers launched a special ‘Corona Calling Campaign’ to disseminate the disastrous outcome of the deadly pandemic.
On the occasion, Harpal Singh Cheema termed the three ordinances passed by the Modi government in the name of farm reforms, as an ill-advised step aimed at demolishing the existing world class marketing structure of the state, besides being detrimental to all sections of society, especially the farmers, farm laborers and ‘arhtiyas’ (Commission agents) and others, saying the party would oppose the oradinances at the All-party meet slated for June 24.
Cheema informed that AAP would go to every nook and corner of the state and apprise the farmers and other about the deadly and anti-farmer ordinances once the battle against Corona ends. He reiterated that the party had already broached the issue with Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana KP Singh, insisting for convening a special session of Assembly on the issue
Replying to a media query, the LoP alleged that the Bathinda Thermal Plant, which was dedicated to the state on the occasion of 500th Prakash Divas (1969) of Guru Nanak Dev, was handed over be the previous Badal government to private thermal plants under the one-sided pacts, adding that FM Manpreet Singh Badal had promised to re-start the Bathinda Thermal Plant, by scrapping the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with private power companies soon after assuming power in the 2017 assembly elections, had backtracked on the promise.
Cheema that between 2005-2014, Rs. 734 crore were spent for international up-gradation of Bathinda Thermal Plants, the last it was upgraded in 2014 at a cost worth billions of rupees, alleging it was shut down before it could run for 100 hours, while the Bathinda Thermal Plant had a term of 2030-31, according to the National Electricity Authority.
He added that while the land of Bathinda Thermal Plant was being doled out to their loved ones through PUDA, while the resolution passed by the Board of Directors of Bathinda Thermal Plant to run a 60 MW unit with straw had been hanging fire for years now, claiming that if the unit had been run on straw, the thermal plant workers, farmers, as also the environment, would have been benefitted a great deal.
Replying to yet another query, Cheema reiterated that the power, drug, liquor and land mafia, which ran under the protective patronage of Sukhbir Singh Badal, was now running under the command of Capt. Amarinder Singh Government, saying that the allegations of liquor smuggling rampant in the state levelled by two former party presidents, was an endorsement to the AAP’s standpoint that the government was in league with the mafia.
The AAP also announced the setting up of a special cell to bring back the Punjabis trapped in other countries of the world, adding the party president Bhagwant Mann and other had been receiving calls from those trapped there facilitating their safe return home.
On the occasion, a prominent leader of the Akali Dal, Karambir Singh Ghuman, former president Nagar Council, Dasuya and former President Youth Akali Dal, Hoshiarpur district joined the party along with dozens of his supporters in the presence of top leadership.
Others who were present on the occasion included, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Master Baldev Singh (All MLAs), core committee members Harchand Singh Bursat, Sukhwinder Sukhi and Sandip Singl