Moga, Punjab (June 23, 2014): Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was able to cool down a protest by Congress MLAs who were chanting of anti-Badal slogans and holding anti-government mottos while protesting outside residence on June 23, 2014.
Badal played “smart” as he not just met the group of Congress MLAs protesting outside his residence which demanded payment of sugarcane arrears to farmers and withdrawal of property tax, to their satisfaction, but he also issued a statement through state’s Department of Information and Public Relation just after the protest was over.
Parkash Singh Badal gets memorandum from Congress MLAs
During the protest, over 32 Congress legislators led by leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly Sunil Jakhar raised anti-Badal and Anti-government slogans while holding the similar slogans outside CM’s residence.
During the protest, Badal came out of his “Kothi” and received a memorandum from them and also played some “joke-type” dialogues to create a light environment to “cool-down” the protesters in his style.
Almost “highjacking” issues of congress MLAs, Badal assured that he would soon convene a meeting with the officers of the various departments in light of the memorandum submitted by them before taking a final decision.
The key demands included payment of sugarcane arrears of Rs. 183 crore to farmers, rehabilitation of drug addicts lodged in jails, withdrawal of property tax and release of payments under various schemes to the scheduled caste beneficiaries.
As per the press note released by a spokesman of the DIPR, Badal told Jakhar that “these issues would be amicably resolved, hopefully to their satisfaction.” Badal said that he had always welcomed healthy criticism. Badal also told Jakhar that the genuine issues of his party MLAs related to the development of assembly segments would be sorted out in consultation with the concerned MLAs.
He also promised to get the issue of sub-plan component for scheduled castes and payment of the pre-and post-matric scholarship to the SC students would be thoroughly examined so that the funds allocated for the welfare of the weaker sections must reach to the eligible beneficiaries.
Interestingly, the press note adds, “Expressing displeasure over protest in front of his residence, Badal said he would have more happy to offer them a cup of tea, had they come inside his residence to discuss the issues in a better way.”
“The rising unemployment, widespread drug addiction, closure of industries, mis-governance and corruption in every government department has forced the Congress legislators to agitate on the streets,” the memorandum adds.
The memorandum further mentioned that Punjab government has been making tall claims of crop diversification initiative and yet nothing is being done on the ground to ameliorate the plight of Punjab farmers.
“The Punjab government is yet to disburse pending dues of Rs. 183 crore to sugarcane farmers of Punjab, owed to them by the government owned sugar mills,” it further added.