Kisans demand that Chandigarh immediately be transferred to Punjab as its Capital

Memorandum prepared for the Governor of Punjab by 22 Kisan organisations

Chandigarh 4- March () :

Today morning  the above memorandum was signed by the respective leaders  of the kisan organisations before they started to moving the office of the Governor. However, after Balbir Singh Rajewal moved ahead, the other cars were stopped at the gate of the Kisan Bhawan on the pretext that governor has refused to meet more than five kisan leaders.

At this Kisan leaders, including Prem Singh Bhangu, Harmeet Singh Kadian, Bogh Singh, Ruldu Singh Mansa moved on to the main road and blocked traffic for nearly half an hour. Finally the police was told that the  office of the governor has agreed to receive 22 leader, one each from respective union. However, on reaching there at Raj Bhawan, police again started dithering. Finally 22 names of the leaders were recorded but again Kisan leaders were stopped at the gate for a long time. This enraged the kisan leader and they tried to paste the memorandum at the gate of the Raj Bhawan. Humilated at the  hands of governor, the kisan leaders finally placed memorandum on the ground and gave five strokes of a shoe  before they left the gate in utter disappointment.

Addressing the media Rajewal said, “I am coming to Raj Bhawan  for the last more than four decades but the type of arrogance shown today by the  governor  of Punjab was experienced in  the past. He further wondered, “if home minister of India could have meeting with leaders of 40 Kisan unions, why denial to such a routine meeting by the governor of the state of Punjab!” He said “we are not going to be cowed down by such tactics of the governor. We have decided to take challenge head on and  would  intensify protests in the coming days”.

MEMORANDUM

A week back 22 kisan organisations met and decided to submit a following memorandum to the Governor of Punjab (complete version attached PDF in Punjabi):

The brief of the memorandum is the following:

1. The government of India is trying to take control of Bhakhar-Beas Management Board, regulating water and electricity supply, at the cost of Punjab and Haryana rights, by changing rules of 1974. Further, by passing Dam Safety Act two years back the GOI has already taken away the security arrangement from Punjab and transferred the same to more than 800 CISF personnel working under the central control. All the 22 kisan organisations vehemently oppose both the above moves of the Union government. In case the GOI did not retract from its decisions, the Kisan unions would intensify its stir.
2. Punjabis are resenting the tinkering of history books of Punjab School Education Board at the instance of CBSE. Kisans are demanding that not only the original text of the history books should immediately be restored but the culprits responsible for making changes should also be  punished as per the law.
3. Union Territory Chandigarh legitimately belongs to the state Punjab as it was constructed after painful displacement of thousands of rural Punjabis. It was decided that the employment in U.T. would be in the ratio of 60:40 between Punjab and Haryana. It is no more honoured. Even official communication in Punjabi is barred. Kisans demand that Chandigarh immediately be transferred to Punjab as its Capital. In the meanwhile 60% recruitment of government employees from Punjab be immediately complied with.
4. The Kisan organisations would launch a strong protest against the Chandigarh administration if the government run electricity department, earning profit nearly Rs.250/ crore annually, is handed over to some private corporation. Kisans also demand the withdrawal of termination of services of 17 employees who participated in the recent protest strike.
5. Kisans also protest the bail given to the murder accused Ashish Mishra son of Union Minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra (Tenny) in the Lakhimpur murder case. Kisan organisations demand that the bail of Ashish Mishra be cancelled immediately and he should be sent behind bars. Also Ajay Mishra be arrested immediately after his termination from the Ministry as he too has been indicted. Kisan organisations would not budge until such a justice is given to the victim families of Lakhimpur in U.P.