AMRITSAR: Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh said that Chandigarh would be merged with Punjab soon, without the state losing Fazilka and Abohar to Haryana. He said that he had detailed discussions on this issue with the Prime Minister and two meetings were held in the presence of Bhajan Lal but the delay had been caused beauties the Prime Minister was busy in the recently held assembly elections.
Beant Singh told newsmen here that he wanted that any morchas and dharnas should not be launched in the state for some years as these would disturb the peace in the state, He said that the Akalis should understand that the people wanted to live in peace after years of turmoil.
Holding the Akalis responsible for the turmoil the state had passed through, the Chief Minister said that the Akalis should work for the development of Punjab instead of exploiting the sentiments of the Sikhs on the false propaganda that their religion was in danger. Sikhs and their religion were safe under his rule, he said.
He welcomed the announcement made by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Madan Lal Khurana, regarding granting the status of a second language to Punjab in Delhi. He, however, avoided commenting on Khurana’s decision to punish the guilty of the anti-Sikh riots of November 1984.
On the delay in holding elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parkandhak Committee (SGPC), he said that the delimitation of Constituencies was required since the population had increased manifold.
These constituencies, demarcated in 1952, did not even have equal size, he said, adding that the Congress would neither participate in the SGPC elections nor Support any one.
The Chief Minister said that the present Akali leadership had become irrelevant and could not be accepted as the true representatives of the Sikhs. The new, young Sikh leaders, expected to emerge after fresh SGPC elections, would truly represent the community, he said, the new leadership is expected to be secular and work for the development of the state, he hoped.
Reacting to Parkash Singh Badal’scharge that there was rampant corruption in Punjab, Beant Singh said that it ‘was quite less than what it was during his regime, Badal, he said, was frustrated and had no peace of mind and that was why he had been propagating that peace in Punjab was deceptive. Though militancy had been contained, sill we cannot be complacent, Beant Singh said, and that was one reason why K, P.S.Gill had been granted another year’s extension.
The Chief Minister said that the Police Act would be amended in the next Assembly session to make provisions to appoint police commissioners in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 10, 1993
