SAD prevails on Cong govt to demand end to misuse of NIA and UAPA in forthcoming meetings with PM
(SAD says Punjab govt should make it clear to centre that rights of the States should not be encroached)
(Raises need to form Peoples Commission or State Commission to probe truth behind January 26 incidents in All Party meeting)
(Succeeds in getting debts of all 88 martyrs of Kisan Andolan waived)
Chandigarh, February 2 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today successfully prevailed on the Congress government to include the demand to forcefully raise the misuse of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and draconian laws like Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against farmer leaders and their supporters by the central government in forthcoming meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Disclosing this, SAD senior leader Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra said the SAD delegation interceded successfully and asked chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to take up the issue of misuse of central agencies and laws with the Prime Minister. The SAD delegation, which also included Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, made it clear that the Punjab government should take a principled stand on the issue since the centre was trying to encroach on the rights of the State government. The issue was then included in the joint resolution prepared on the occasion.
Prof Chandumajra said the SAD also stressed the need to establish a People’s Commission or a State Commission to unravel the truth behind the incidents of January 26 as well as the conspiracies launched by central agencies to sabotage the peaceful Kisan Andolan. He said this demand was also accepted with Pradesh Congress President Sunil Jakhar supporting the proposal.
The SAD delegation also asked the chief minister to waive off the debts of all 88 farmer families whose next of kin had been martyred during the course of the ongoing Kisan Andolan. It asked the chief minister to delink this demand from the complete loan waiver promise which was yet to be implemented. The chief minister agreed to this demand.
Prof Chandumajra said the delegation also asked the chief minister to forcefully take up the issue of Punjabi youth who were missing since January 26 as well as give all possible assistance to youth who had been booked in false cases and incarcerated in jail. He also asked the Punjab government to take up the case for repeal of the hated Agricultural laws forcefully with the Prime Minister. EOM
BOX
Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra also raised the issue of murderous attack on Akali workers and SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal at Jalalabad today during the All Party meeting. He pointed out that “even as we are discussing democratic norms the ground reality in Punjab is that Congress goons have become so emboldened that they have launched a brazen attack on a former deputy chief minister”. He asked the chief minister to take prompt action in the matter.
