CHANDIGARH: After having consolidated its position in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandak Committee (SGPC) the Akali Dal (Badal) has decided to launch a statewide morcha with a view to strengthen its eroding mass base.
The party has announced holding of 11 dharnas all over the State this month
These dharnas would aim at mass mobilization against the Anti-Sikh annt-Punjab and anti-farmer policies of the Congress Government.
In an advertisement published in Punjabi daily The Ajit on behalf of President of the Akali Dal (Badal) Parkash Singh Badal and President of the SGPC Gurcharan Singh Tohra the program for these dharnas was announced.
Both of them had lashed out at the Congress accusing it of being repressive tyrannical undemocratic communal and violator of the Constitution.
The Akali Dal (Badal) has accused the Congress of engineering a migration of Sikhs from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Badal said the people of Punjab will have to intensify their struggle because the lessons we have learned is that the Congress leadership in Delhi does not act unless it is cornered.
His party according to him felt that the only way to counter the moves of the Government was to involve the people.
After the dharnas starting on December 4 the party proposes to hold a national conference on State repression and Anti Kissan moves of the Government
In this conference the party would invite all those national leaders who support the views of the Sikhs.
These leaders include former Prime Ministers V.P.Singh and Chandershekhar.
The Akali Dal (Badal) has said that the anti-farmer stance of the Government can be seen from the fact that the Punjab farmers were offered half the price for wheat as compared to the wheat imported from Canada.
Procurement price of long staple cotton has been decreased to Rs 1000 from 1500 fixed last year.
The raise in the procurement price of sugar cane was only Rs 1 per quintal.
The advertisement had also explained that the dharnas were aimed at ending State repression stopping fake police encounters to press the Government to withdraw the hike in prices of diesel fertilizer power tariff bus fares and to ask for an increase in the price of farmers produce.
It has been also demanded that the Government initiate action against the guilty in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots seek protection for the Sikhs living in Terai and other areas of Uttar Pradesh and in other states.
The first dharna will be held at Sangrur on December 4 and then will continue till December 30 at Fatehgarh Sahib Patiala Gurdaspur Jalandhar Hoshiarpur Ludhiana Ferozepur Faridkot Bathinda Mansa Amritsar Kapurthala and Ropar.
Badal told the journalists that the struggle of his party is against the Center and the. Congress leadership there. The Punjab Governmental he said would soon fall under its own weight the level of corruption has crossed all previous levels.
Badal said that his party would take part in the forthcoming panchayat elections with full vigor
He said I feel that the elections should be held unanimously so that no pro-Congress person gets elected and we will coordinate with other Akali groups also. But he added that these candidates would also be incorporated who were anti-Congress.
Badal has also asked the Government to immediately stop the law and order approach to the Punjab problem and find a political solution to it.
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