Latest news with #non-Punjabi
Hans India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
AAP has become so afraid of Akali Dal, says Sukhbir Badal after courting arrest
Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday courted arrest along with Akali workers to protest the registration of a case against senior party leader Bikram Singh Majithia. The SAD President was stopped by police squads from visiting gurdwara Sri Amb Sahib to pay obeisance, after which he was scheduled to lead Akali workers to the Vigilance Bureau office to protest against political vendetta against Majithia. A large number of Akali workers were forcibly taken away by heavy police contingents deployed to prevent them from paying obeisance and assembling inside the sacred precincts of the Gurdwara Sahib. 'AAP has become so afraid of the Shiromani Akali Dal that it conducted a state-level crackdown on Akali workers and detained hundreds of senior leaders and workers at their residences besides undertaking preventive arrests,' Badal told the media at the protest site. 'Everything in Punjab is being directed and run by the communal non-Punjabi Arvind Kejriwal. Police cases are just a façade. We will not allow Punjab to be ruled by communal elements from Delhi,' said Badal, while speaking to the media from a police van. Badal further said Kejriwal had fallen back on repression as his last desperate measure to divert people's attention from the 'loot that his gang was currently carrying out in Punjab'. Repression and political vendetta, he said, are the last resort taken by all unpopular and rootless leaders. Describing the crackdown on peaceful Akalis as worse than the one during Emergency or even during the Jaitu Da Morcha, he said not even during those days were Sikhs stopped from going to their sacred shrines as Akali workers were stopped on Wednesday from peacefully visiting Gurdham Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali. Badal said, 'I don't care about this repression against me personally, as defiance against repression runs in my blood. But I warn the government against repression against our peaceful Akali workers.' He described Wednesday's developments as 'broad daylight murder of democracy, civil liberties and human rights. Where are the champions of human rights today?'
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Oppn unites against govt's move to appoint CS as devp board chief
1 2 Chandigarh: Reacting sharply to the Punjab council of ministers' nod on Saturday to appoint the chief secretary as the chairperson of all urban development authorities, opposition parties in Punjab, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at the AAP-led govt in the state, strongly condemning the move. Leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said chief minister Bhagwant Mann had "mortgaged Punjab's authority to Delhi's whims". In a post on X, the Congress leader said chief secretaries "take orders from the Punjab Development Commission controlled by Delhiwalas, reducing the elected chief minister of Punjab to a mere puppet". "This is a de facto coup of Punjab's democratic mandate," he said. Congress MLA from Bholath and chairman of the All India Kisan Congress, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, said the decision "effectively sidelines the elected chief minister and hands over critical governance functions to a bureaucrat". Khaira, in a statement, mentioned: "For the first time in 75 years of India's Independence, an elected leader, chief minister Bhagwant Mann, was replaced by a bureaucrat in such a vital role." Referring to Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema's statement that the move was necessitated due to the "busy schedule" of the CM, Khaira said it was a "flimsy excuse to mask Kejriwal's growing control over Punjab's governance". "This is not about schedules; this is about power. Kejriwal's takeover of Punjab is now complete, with Mann's authority systematically dismantled," he said. Khaira vowed to take the issue to the assembly, and if necessary, to the courts. "Punjab deserves transparent, accountable, and democratic governance, and we will not rest until that is restored," he said. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a post on X, said by appointing the chief secretary as the chairman of all the urban planning and development authorities in Punjab, including PUDA, GMADA, GLADA, JDA, BDA, ADA, PDA, and others, CM Mann's "meek and unabashed surrender" to Arvind Kejriwal "is now complete". "He (Bhagwant Mann) has handed over control of Punjab's lands and development funds to his Delhi boss through a bureaucrat, who is a close aide of Kejriwal," Badal said. He said the move was "designed to hand over Punjab's entire wealth to looters, as it comes on the eve of the AAP govt's plan to acquire thousands of acres of Punjab's land, including 24,000 acres in Ludhiana alone". "This move is also final proof that Punjab is now being directly controlled by non-Punjabis, and even the pretence of ruling through Bhagwant Mann has ended. It is common knowledge that Punjab bureaucrats report directly to Kejriwal and his non-Punjabi associates," Sukhbir said. Punjab BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal said Mann had now officially handed over all development bodies to the chief secretary. "First, the Punjab Development Commission was snatched away from the CM and handed to the chief secretary and he further handed it over to the AAP Delhi nominees! Now, even Punjab's development authorities have been taken away from the CM and given to the chief secretary," Baliawal posted on X. "They've been installed to drain Punjab's resources for Kejriwal's empire in Delhi. The next step clearly seems to be putting these outsiders in control of the development authorities as well," Baliawal said while pointing out the AAP govt's earlier move of handing over of the Development Commission to the "outsiders with absolutely no roots in Punjab". Punjab Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said AAP had been blatantly trying to weaken the institution of the chief minister by replacing him with an in-service bureaucrat to head various development boards, which will make them completely unaccountable to the public. In a written statement, Warring added, "Being in opposition we do have numerous differences with the chief minister on various issues, but we do not approve undermining and taking away his authority. After all, he is the elected head of the govt, chosen by people of Punjab, while the chief secretary is only 'an appointed official'." BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh called it an open assault on democratic governance and an insult to Punjab's elected leadership. "Will chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his cabinet now report to a bureaucrat? Has Punjab's cabinet been reduced to a puppet show run by Kejriwal's inner circle?" he said. BOX Govt calls it 'bold reform' The opposition parties' condemnation of the Punjab cabinet nod to appoint chief secretary as the chairperson of all urban development authorities stems from the fact that the post had been till now held by the chief minister of Punjab. The amendment proposed in the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act seeks to replace the CM with the chief secretary as chairperson of all urban development authorities. The govt, on the other hand, terms it as a "bold reform" aimed at "strengthening decentralised governance, speeding up decision making, and empowering the administrative setup to act swiftly on ground-level issues". The govt's statement said: "Previously, these authorities had inconsistent structures, Now, the cabinet has approved a uniform framework across all eight authorities with deputy commissioners and municipal commissioners included as members – ensuring that local matters are resolved efficiently at the authority level itself."
New Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Punjab LoP Bajwa calls Bhagwant Mann ‘figurehead CM'; alleges Kejriwal runs Punjab via Delhi-based appointees
CHANDIGARH: Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government, claiming that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been reduced to a mere figurehead while AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal acts as the 'super CM,' controlling key decisions and appointments in the state. Bajwa accused the government of filling top positions in the Punjab Development Commission (PDC) with individuals from outside Punjab, many of whom are allegedly close to AAP's Delhi leadership. He said the PDC was formed in September 2023 through a notification under the Punjab Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) Act, without bringing a new Act before the Assembly for debate and approval. He criticised the government for bypassing legislative procedures and acting in a non-transparent manner. In March 2024, the PDC advertised and appointed eight Advisors at Rs 2.65 lakh per month, 15 Joint Advisors at Rs 2.20 lakh per month, and 15 Senior Research Officers at Rs 1.25 lakh per month. Bajwa claimed that most of these officials were non-Punjabis and were hired on a contractual basis without adhering to the mandatory requirement of Punjabi language proficiency. He pointed out that while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is the Chairman of the PDC, the Vice Chairperson is a non-Punjabi, and three other members also belong to states outside Punjab. 'This is a direct insult to the youth and professionals of Punjab who are being ignored in their own state,' Bajwa said.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Punjab won't allow outsiders to govern state: Bharat Bhushan Ashu
Times News Network Ludhiana: Punjab Congress working president and the party's bypoll candidate, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, on Friday said that the bypoll was a battle of Punjabis against non-Punjabis, who after looting and robbing Punjab's resources, were trying to usurp political power. "We are all fighting for Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat", he remarked, asserting that there was complete unanimity in this election that no non-Punjabi will be allowed to usurp Punjab's political authority. "At stake is the Punjabi 'anakh', the self respect, that Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly hurt", Ashu said, while addressing a public meeting. The senior Congress leader alleged that Kejriwal has hurt the prestige of Punjabis by imposing people from Delhi on them. "I have no issues with anyone, including AAP workers or leaders who are from Punjab," he said, adding, "Punjabis gave them the mandate in 2022 and I respect it. " However, he added that Punjabis did not give their mandate "for people from Delhi to rule over them." He said, "none of the local AAP workers, leaders, legislators and most of the ministers, have any say in the government and administration. They cannot get even a junior official transferred as that also is directed from Delhi. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like USDJPY đang đi lên không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo So much so, they cannot even appoint their own PAs and OSDs and these are also thrust from Delhi. " Even now, Ashu added, Kejriwal is aiming at snatching away a Rajya Sabha seat from the Punjabis to grab it himself and go to the Rajya Sabha. "Why should the Punjabis allow that?" he asked, disclosing that AAP supporters have been telling him how suffocated and hurt they feel. "Ludhiana West bypoll will mark the beginning of the end of Delhi leaders' authoritarian rule over Punjab", he said, observing, "The results on June 23 will force AAP to undertake course correction and the party will stop thrusting outsiders on Punjabis." Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ashu poser to Kejriwal: ‘Will you let Arora to continue in Rajya Sabha if he loses'
The Congress Thursday demanded that the ruling AAP in general, and its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in particular, must tell people of Punjab what would be the party's stand on the Rajya Sabha seat from state in both scenarios — if Sanjeev Arora wins or loses the June 19 Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll. The AAP has fielded Arora, its Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, as the bypoll candidate amid allegations by the Opposition that the ruling party has nominated him to 'facilitate the backdoor entry of Kejriwal into the Upper House', a charge that AAP has denied several times in the past. Ashu, a former two-time MLA and the Congress candidate for teh bypoll, posed three questions to Kejriwal and AAP. Raising the first question, Ashu asked 'Kejriwal Sahab to please tell the people of Punjab in general and Ludhiana in particular whether you will allow Sanjeev Arora Ji to continue as the Rajya Sabha member after June 23 once the election results are declared and he loses'. 'Yes or no? You cannot escape the specific answer by claiming that 'he is going to win and he will obviously go to the Vidhan Sabha'… I am saying that because you are nobody to decide and I am nobody to decide at this stage, as it is the people of Ludhiana West who will decide. And I am confident that Sanjeev Arora will not win. Will you clarify whether you will let him continue as the Rajya Sabha MP or force him to resign to make way for yourself for Rajya Sabha ? This is a very important question and people of Punjab want you to answer,' said Ashu. In his second question, Ashu asked Kejriwal to tell the people of Punjab that in case he forces Arora to resign after elections irrespective of the outcome, whom will he send to the Rajya Sabha in his place? 'Will you be going yourself or will you nominate some Punjabi to represent Punjab. This question is related to Punjabis' rights. Please do answer. You have already sent three non-Punjabi outsiders to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. Will you steal the fourth Rajya Sabha seat also from the Punjabis or replace a Punjabi with another Punjabi,' the Congress leader asked. 'Question number Three. If, and in all probability, you will force Arora to resign and you decide to go to the Rajya Sabha yourself, will you get your name deleted from the New Delhi Assembly segment and register yourself as a voter anywhere in Punjab. We Punjabis are large hearted. We will accept you…You may not become a Punjabi by heart, but you will still be a naturalized Punjabi. In any case you are using every facility in Punjab. Morality demands you either stop using Punjab's privileges, or opt Punjab as your home,' said Ashu.
