DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today appealed to the union government to resolve all grievances of farmers through mutual discussion and by giving them representation in the MSP Committee as promised besides calling for opening of the Wagah and Hussainiwal borders for trade with Pakistan and Central Asia and institution of an industrial package for Punjab, especially its border areas.

The Bathinda MP, while speaking on the President's Address in parliament, also made a fervent appeal for the immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, saying the latter was the only State which did not have control over its capital city. She also castigated the attempts being made to dilute Punjab's right over Chandigarh by disregarding the 60:40 ratio in posting of officers of Punjab and Haryana in the union territory, implementing central rules in the UT and discriminating against Punjabi in official functioning.

Mrs Harsimrat Badal in her awe inspiring speech also asserted that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had fought to ensure Punjab was not robbed of its river waters and asserted that injustice should not be done to the State on this account. She also reminded the union government of its commitment during the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in 2019 to release all Bandi Singhs. She said it was unfortunate that the government had taken an about turn on this issue by first stating in court that the Sikh detainees were a threat to society and later demanding the detainees apologize for their acts. She also flagged the manner in which Sikh women were being discriminated against in their own country by being forced to remove their articles of faith (Kakaar) as had happened at an examination centre in Rajasthan recently.

Speaking about the need to address the grievances of farmers, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said farmers had been given a guarantee when they had lifted the Kisan Andolan on the borders of Delhi that all their demands would be considered sympathetically and that a Committee would be formed to make MSP a legal entity. "This is yet to be done and instead farmers were tear-gassed by the Haryana Police and one of them was even martyred when they tried to proceed to Delhi to remind the centre about the promises made to them some months back".

Mrs Badal also called for giving a special industrial package to Punjab stating "Punjab lost out immensely when the neighbouring hill States were given tax concessions to give a fillip to industrial development. While resulting in shifting of a section of Punjab industry to the hill States it has also resulted in unemployment. An industrial package is the need of the hour, especially in the border belt". She also called for opening of the Wagah and Hussainiwala borders for trade with Pakistan and Central Asian countries. "This is much needed to rejuvenate the economy of the border belt". She also spoke of the need to control the drug menace, particularly the use of drones from across the border to transfer drugs to Punjab.

The Bathinda MP also urged the central government to stop interference in Sikh affairs. She said while the erstwhile Congress government had attacked Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and mortars, the present government had in its last tenure taken over control of Sikh shrines including the Nanded based Sri Hazur Sahib shrine and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee besides breaking the Shiromani Committee to form a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana. Mrs Badal also called for reducing the power granted to the police in the new criminal laws stating this could lead to a new kind of Emergency like situation if not curbed. She also pointed out that Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh had not been allowed to take oath of office.
(editor@dailyworld.in)