The Akali Dal (Badal) has decided to send a high-level party delegation to President of India Shanker Dayal Shanna and Prime Minister Narasimha Rao to demand the dismissal of Beant Singh Government in Punjab for indulging in mass corruption and nepotism.
‘This was announced by Akali Dal (Badal) president Parkash Singh Badal here, last week, while » addressing a political conference.
Badal said that Beant Singh Government had no right to stay in Office after the indictment of Chief Secretary Ajit Singh Chatha and the strictures passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Count in several other cases of appointments of excise and taxation officers and block development and panchayat officers. The cancellation of these appointments, he said, had cast a shadow over the integrity of chief minister and his ministerial colleagues.
Referring to the recent confessions made by Swaran Singh former deputy commissioner of Mansa regarding the appointment policy of the chief minister, he said, these charges were grave enough to call for the resignation of any elected government He Said that it was amazing that President of India had not yet taken any steps to dismiss the Cabinet and dissolve the Assembly, to pave the way for fresh elections in the state.
Badal promised to waive off loans up to Rs 5,000 to marginal farmers if his party was voted to power, Beant Singh Government, he claimed, had failed to fulfill a similar election promise. Claiming a wave in favor of his party, he also expressed satisfaction over the response it had evolved from the Hindu community.
Accusing the Congress chief ministers of selling the Punjab interests to Center, Badal claimed that Congress has always tried to Split the Akali Dal. He said that he had openly opposed Rajiv Longowal Accord which could not be implemented even though it bore the bore the stamp of the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, and had been endorsed by the Indian Parliament. Promising (o fight for the nights of the state, the thanked the masses for giving an encouraging response to his party.
Kuldip Singh Wadala senior vice president of the party said that Gurcharan Singh Tohra wanted an atmosphere of uncertainty and violence to continue.
Blaming his antipathy policies for keeping the Sikhs out of the mainstream, he said that Tohra ‘was Opposed to the entry of Hindus into the Akall Party, He said that if there was any truth in the letter written against Jathedar Manjit Singh, the SGPC was to blame.
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhindra, both former ministers Gurdey Singh Badal, Captain Kanwaljit Singh, Hari Singh Zira and Gurbinder Kaur Bishnoi also addressed the conference.
The conference passed 15 resolutions, The resolutions demand establishment of trie federal structure in Punjab, inclusion of Punjabi speaking areas In Punjab, with drawal of black laws like TADA, restoration of human rights, punishment of “84 riots accused, removal of bunkers and police posts from around the Golden Temple, determining agriculture product prices on the basis of price index, proper arrangements for procurement of paddy and payment of bonus or paddy as announced last year.
Meanwhile, according to a re= port from Amritsar Amarinder. Singh, a member of the seven member ad hoc committee of the Akali Dal (Amritsar), has said that Simranjit Singh Mann’s statements on Khalistan were purely his personal views and did not reflect the views of the party.
Addressing a Press conference: here, last week, he said the Akali Dal (Amritsar was committed to the democratic way of functioning and would participate in the electoral process of the country.
Reiterating the party’s stand, he claimed that the references to a sovereign Sikh state made in the Amritsar declaration adopted by it on its inception, was merely a threat. The Election Commission, he said, would not allow the party 10 participate in the election if it demanded a separate Sikh state.
Eyen the Amritsar declaration, he clarified, would remain the force only till November 15 and by that time the entire election process of the party would be over.
After the election of the party president the general House of the party might ratify it, amend it or reject it outright, he added.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 2, 1994
