The Tribune – Badal for all-party meeting on terror

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.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120430/punjab.htm#2

The Tribune – This Mann’s campaign draws crowds

Balwant Garg – Tribune News Service

Faridkot, November 5. In run-up to the forthcoming assembly elections, while the topnotch Akalis and Congress leaders are indulging in ‘dull’ sabre-rattling, Bhagwant Mann, the satirist and now an active supporter of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP), is campaigning in the rural area of Faridkot in a unique manner.

Doing intense canvassing for the PPP and exhorting the people to reach Dhudike village in Moga for the Sanjha Morcha rally on Sunday, Mann is on a whirlwind tour of villages in the area.

Proving to a be good crowdpuller in the village-level meetings and discussing “truths, half-truths and outright lies,” being used by the Akalis and Congress leaders to dig up the dirt on the each other, Mann’s focus is on real issues a common man faces in daily life.

While addressing the rural gathering in Kameana, Golewala, Moran Wali, Nawan Killan, Pipli, Chandbaja and many other villages of Faridkot, Mann speaks out on the prevalence of cancer, water-borne diseases, Punjab becoming a dreamland for drug peddlers, high consumption of liquor, all-pervasive unemployment and the financial crunch in the state.

A stand-up comic who has so far been parodying politicians in his VCDs and audio cassettes, Bhagwant Mann refrained from making any personal comment or diatribe against any leader but his target was the Congress and the SAD-BJP alliance.

He maintains that instead of using derogatory language against each other, it is better that the Akalis and Congress leaders pay some attention to Punjab problems.

“All that happens is exchanging threats and posturings, in the Akali and Congress political rallies there is no mention of real issues concerning a common man”, said Bhagwant Mann, speaking at Kameana village.

He adds, “In all areas Punjab is lagging behind in development, except in the growth of the liquor industry.” He tells the people that the daily sale of liquor in Punjab is over Rs 8 crore. The liquor business is a big revenue-generating source for the government and this business is increasing in leaps and bounds every passing year and is yardstick of development in Punjab under Congress and Akalis’ rule.

The Malwa belt faces the scourge of many water-related problems and has a high number of cancer cases but the priority of the state government is more and more liquor distilleries. In Punjab villages these days, there is only one shop that starts early in the morning and closes late in the evening-and that is the liquor vend, says Mann.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111106/punjab.htm#5