Emphasises on need for cooperation between the Centre and states to tackle gun culture
Dharmendra Joshi & Neeraj Bagga, Tribune News Service
Jalandhar/Amritsar, April 29. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has urged the Centre to call an all-party meeting to discuss reasons behind several youths taking to terrorism.
Stressing upon the need to take “sincere” steps to tackle poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, Badal, who was in Jalandhar to attend a Shaheed Parivar Fund function, said these factors made youngsters prone to adopting gun culture. “The Union Government should call a meeting to discuss measures to eradicate root causes of terrorism,” he said.
Badal said security forces, including police, paramilitary forces and the Army, alone cannot tackle the menace. “The Centre and state governments should chalk out a strategy to deal with unemployment,” he said.
However, the Chief Minister did not speak anything about the policies adopted by the SAD-BJP government to deal with such issues.
About rising drug addiction and corruption, he said the society could not get rid of these evils without active public participation.
Calling for proper sealing of international border to check smuggling of drugs from Afghanistan, he said the sale of poppy husk in neighbouring Rajasthan should also be banned.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, CPI national executive member Dr Jogendra Dayal, Congress Legislature Party leader in Punjab Assembly Sunil Jakhar, Local Bodies Minister Bhagat Chunni Lal, BJP spokesman Manoranjan Kalia, Himachal Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief Anurag Thakur were also present on the occasion.
In Amritsar, the Chief Minister said the SAD-BJP government was committed to revitalise the state’s education system in the next two years.
Addressing a gathering during the convocation of Khalsa College, the Chief Minister said complete transformation of the education system was a priority. He said his government was aware about the need for quality education in today’s competitive age. He said he had already directed officials of the Education Department to submit a report regarding the requirement of infrastructure, staff and other things needed for a complete overhaul of the primary, secondary and higher education in the state.
The Chief Minister claimed that as a result of concerted efforts of the government, Punjab, which earlier ranked 14th in the field of education, now ranked third in the country. He said due to tough posture of the Union Government, Punjab was denied permission to create scientific storage (silos) for foodgrains.
Calling for a change of guard at the Centre, Badal urged the people to reject the Congress-led UPA in the next Lok Sabha elections to safeguard the interests of Punjab.
