STATES

Punjab

IYC Supports US Fight Against Terrorism

The former Gujarat Chief Minister, Shri Madhav Sinh Solanki, lighting the lamp during the at a meeting held to pay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on birth anniversary. Among those present were the AICC secretary Mr. Irshadbaig Mr. Mirza, Surinder Rajput and Mr. Navin Bhai Shastri.

LUDHIANA : The Indian Youth Congress (Union Development Cell) activists led by its chairman, Mr. Pawan Dewan, on 16 September took out a massive procession to express their solidarity with the people of America in their fight against terrorism. The activists set afire to an effigy of Osama Bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire based in Afghanistan and the prime suspect in Tuesday’s terrotist attacks on Washington and New York. The Youth Congress activists were shouting slogans against Bin Laden, the Taliban and Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dewan said that it was high time when all the peace loving and democratic nations across the globe joined hands with each other to crush terrorism. He pointed out that the terrorists have proved that they can strike anywhere, anytime and against any country, no matter how strong and powerful that might be.

Youth Congress workers burning the effigy of Osama Bin Laden in protest of terrorism

He called for a joint and comprehensive effort by America and India to wipe out this threat. "Today they have targeted only two cities of America and caused such a massive damage to life and property, tomorrow they can target any other nation", he pointed out.

Mr. Dewan said that the Government of India should come forward and provide all cooperation and assistance in the war against terrorism. He observed that the people of India were better placed than anyone else in the world to understand the threat of terrorism as they were also its victims.

He also demanded that the role of Pakistan needs to be thoroughly probed, as it is one of the few countries in the world, which has been supporting the terrorist regime of Taliban in Afghanistan. "Pakistan should be held equally responsible for its role all these years", he observed. Prominent among those who participated in the rally included Akshay Bhanot, Jaswinder Singh Sabi, Jarnail Singh Grewal, Kala Jain Navkar, Navnesh Malhotra and Manish Tandon.

Congress Offers Relief Package for Farmers

CHANDIGARH : The president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Capt. Amrinder Singh, on 19 September promised a Rs. 200-crore relief package to paddy growers in the State. If voted to power in the forthcoming state Assembly elections, the party would stand committed to paying a bonus of Rs. 30 per quintal of paddy harvested in the current season, while the procurement by official agencies is expected to begin by September 21.

After presiding over the meetings of about half a dozen committee, Capt. Amrinder Singh said if the Congress formed the next Government, it would pay bonus to the paddy growers immediately after assuming power. He said payments would be made from the State Government’s own resources, which the party had already identified, without burdening the consumers. He appealed to farmers to preserve the sales’ receipts or other relevant documents, to facilitate payments once the new Government took over.

In an attempt to take the wind out of the ‘pro-farmer" ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Capt. Amrinder Singh said a similar package could be worked out for the cotton growers, who were facing penury due to successive crop failures. He charged that the cotton farmers were suffering because the American Bollworm, which has been inflicting the cotton crop for successive years, could not be controlled due to the spurious pesticides, which were manufactured in the Sangrur based factory of the son-in-law of the Chief Minister, were allowed in the market.

Capt. Amrinder Singh lambasted the agriculture and food procurement policy of the present State as well as the Central Governments. Ridiculing the pro-farmer claims of the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Prakash Singh Badal, he said the condition of the paddy growers had become most pitiable during the tenure of the present Government. He said the recent increase of Rs. 10 per quital in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy was too inadequate as the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) had worked out the production cost to be around Rs. 720 per quintal. He sought that the MSP to be fixed at Rs. 770 per quintal.

The Punjab Congress chief said despite the State Government’s announcement that procurement for the current paddy season would commence from September 21, he did not expect the process to begin before the month-end. By then, farmers in the Majha region would have sold most of their produce at prices nearly Rs. 100 less than the MSP of Rs 560 per quintal.

The Congress adopted a major offensive posture by charging the Badal Government of reaching a "clandestine pact" with their Haryana counterparts. In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the party charged that the Chief Minister has agreed to allow the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal and transfer of Abohar-Fazilka region to Haryana in lieu of transfer of Chandigarh. Stressing that while the Congress would not permit such a deal "under any circumstances", Capt. Amrinder Singh asked the Akali leadership to account for and own moral responsibility for the killings of thousands of innocents after the SAD agitation in these very issues had gone out of control.

Protest Against Badal Govt.

LUDHIANA : The Indian Youth Congress (City Development Cell) staged a protest march on 4 September from Congress Bhavan here to the Ghanta Ghar chowk against corruption in the Punjab Government. The protestors carried placards on which were written : Stop power cuts, stop wrong billings in electricity bills, Prakash Singh Badal murdabad, stop cow slaughter, close down slaughter houses, stop corruption in Electricity Board.

The demonstration was led by, Mr. Pawan Dewan, Chairman, Mr. Akshay Bhanot, convenor Mr. Gernail Singh Grewal, Mr. Jaswinder Singh, Mr. Navnish Malhotra, Mr. Nirmal Kaura, Mr. Ramnath Malhotra, Mr. Chandra Sehgal and Mr. Sumit Batish.

The large gathering of Youth Congress workers that assembled at the Ghanta Ghar Chowk thereafter burnt an effigy of the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Prakash Singh Badal. Others who participated in the rally were Mr. Munish Tandon, Mr. Rajesh Chopra, Mr. Anil Kumar Pappi, Mr. Bikker Singh, Mr. Nirmal Kaura, Mr. Navneesh Malhotra, Mr. Guriqbal Singh Sekhon, Mr. Baljit Malda, Mr. Pawan Shukla, Mr. Sukhdev Kala, Mr. Lakhwinder Happy, Mr. Rakesh Bittu, Mr. Prem Passi, Mr. Jaspal Singh Parmar, Mr. Naresh Bunty, Mr. Amanpreet Singh Aalakh, Mr. Prince, Mr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Naresh Vats, Mr. Rupinder Singh, Mr. Paramjit Hans, Mr. Harpreet Singh, Dr. R.S. Yadav and Mr. Anil Sharma.