PATIALA: Bharatlya Kisan Union’s sponsored Lok Hit Party (LHP) launched its election campaign for its candidate, Satnam Singh Behru from the Patiala parliamentary constituency at a public meeting in Devigarh, 16 km from here, A large number of farmers of the area participated. While urging the farmers to support and vote for Behru, leader after leader attacked the Akali Dal (Badal) for betraying the farmers by not coming to an understanding with the LHP for Jointly contesting the ensuing parliamentary elections in Punjab. Instead, the Akali Dal has made an understanding to have seat adjustments with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Later, addressing a press conference, ‘Ajmor Singh Lakhowal, president, Lok Hit Party, told media persons that his party was making efforts to have an electoral, adjustment with other political parties excluding the Congress (Rao) and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), However, he refused to divulge the exact state of development of poll understanding with other political parties such as BSP, CPM, CPI and Janata Dal. Lakhowawl said that a meeting of ‘various political parties to form a joint front has been fixed for March 27 at the UT guest house in Chandigarh at which besides leaders of Akali Dal (Badal), CPI, CPM, BSP supremo Kanshi Ram will also participate, When asked if they had failed to reach any accord with Akali Dal (Badal), BSP or other political parties, Lakhowal said that his party has already decided to contest elections from. Ludhiana, Sangrur and Patiala. If the time so demands his party would also field its candidate from Faridkot parliamentary constituency.

While releasing his party’s manifesto, Lakhowal said that their main poll plank would be to seek fixation of prices of agricultural out pats, wages of farm laborers, taking into consideration the price index of 196667, 60 lotion of river waters dispute on the basis of riparian international law, investment in Punjab according to credit deposit ratio to prevent the flight of Punjab’s savings. The LHP would also demand paying: 300 times the market price of agriculture land acquired for the various development purposes, Lakhowal cited the example of Sweden, Holland and Switzerland where the governments pay such compensation to farmers which include rehabilitation cost of the farmers shifted to new place. For the uplift of the women, the party will work for reservation of 50% seats in Parliament and assembly besides grant of similar percentage of jobs for them,

Setting at rest a campaign in 2 section of press that there was no scat adjustment between the Akali Dal (Badal) and the BSP in Punjab, BSP state general secretary Avtar Singh Karimpari told media persons here that the electoral understanding and seat adjustment between his partyand the Akali Dal (Badal) was final. BSP supremo Kanshi Ram has accorded his approval to the agreement of BSP Akali Dal to jointly counter the ensuing parliament elections in Punjab. This agreement was signed at Ludhiana on March 18.

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 3, 1996