Tag: PUNJAB

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann

Rahul Not To Give Us LS Seats: Bhagwant

By LokMarg

The Punjab Assembly on Monday witnessed chaotic scenes during the discussion on the state budget when Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann engaged in a heated argument with the Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa following the former’s request to the Governor to “lock” the opposition in the assembly.

Before the beginning of the discussion on the budget, CM Mann handed over an envelope to the governor, stating that he had brought a gift for him. The envelope contained a lock and a key.

The CM, then, asked the governor to lock the opposition inside the assembly, so that they could not “run away” during the discussion, which later triggered a heated argument between LoP Bajwa and the CM.

An agitated chief minister Mann asked Bajwa to tell the central leadership of the Congress not to “bother” giving seats to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“Who does Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi sit with? With me. Have you ever sat with them? On one hand, you are making agreements (on seat sharing) with us. Go and tell them (Sonia and Rahul Gandhi) not to give Kurukshetra, Delhi and Gujarat (Lok Sabha) seats for us,” Mann said.

Later, the house was adjourned for 15 minutes.

LoP Partap Singh Bajwa, while speaking to the reporters, said, “The CM said that the Congress does not know how to listen hence the doors of the Assembly should be locked from inside… Are we labourers? We have not seen such a weak Speaker… The CM used inappropriate words for everyone.

“When the heated argument was going on, CM asked me if I would contest against him in the elections. I told him that from wherever he will contest from Punjab, I will stand against him. I have accepted his challenge openly,” he added.

The AAP and the Congress, allies in the INDIA bloc, have decided to go for a ‘friendly fight’ in Punjab, given the latter is the opposition in the state.

Earlier, the two parties closed their seat-sharing deal in Delhi, Haryana, Goa, Chandigarh and Gujarat.

As part of the agreement reached between the ruling party in Delhi and the grand old party, Congress will contest 3 of the 7 Lok Sabha seats in the national capital while the AAP will field candidates in the remaining 4 constituencies.

In neighbouring Gujarat, the Congress will contest 24 of 26 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the remaining 2–Bharuch and Bhavnagar– for the AAP.

In Haryana, the Congress will contest 8 of the 9 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will contest the lone seat–Kurukshetra.

The two parties also reached a consensus on the grand old party contesting the prized Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat.

As part of the seat-sharing deal, the Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.

The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)

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Farmer Leader Sarwan Singh Pandher

We Should Be Allowed To Protest Peacefully: Farmer Leader Pandher

By LokMarg

We want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a dialogue with farmers or else we should be allowed to protest peacefully, said the General Secretary of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarvan Singh Pandher, as the farmers’ protest escalates into a full-blown crisis.

Pandher told ANI on Thursday, “We have a meeting with the Union ministers today. We want PM Modi to have a conversation with them so that we can solve our demands.”

Stating that India is a democratic country, he said, “We should be allowed to protest peacefully in the National Capital. The government should remove the blockades at all entry points.”

The meeting of the Farmers unions and the central government is scheduled for 5 pm on Thursday. Sarvan Singh Pandher said that the unions are hopeful of a resolution.

“We are going to attend the meeting in a completely positive mood today and we have full confidence that a positive solution will emerge from this meeting…” Pandher said.

The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the central government for which they’re marching to Delhi. The protest this time has been called by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.

According to the protesting farmers, the centre promised them better crop prices, after which they ended the 2021 protest. They are demanding to enact a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, in line with the Swaminathan Commission report.

They are also demanding a complete debt waiver and a scheme to provide pensions to farmers and farm labourers.

The farmers have also urged to scrap the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 and are demanding to reintroduce the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, ensuring consent from farmers and compensation at 4 times the collector rate.

Further, they are demanding to punish those involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings. An appeal to provide 200 days of employment per year and a daily wage of Rs 700 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA), linking it with farming, has also been made by the farmers.

Also, they have demanded compensation to the families of farmers who died during the protests in 2021 and a job for any family member. (ANI)

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Stubble Burning Bhagwant

AAP Will Win All 13 Seats In Punjab: Mann

By LokMarg

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party will win all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.

“In the 2024 Lok Sabha election…AAP will get 13 seats (in Punjab),” Mann said at a media briefing.

Mann’s remarks came amid seat-sharing talks between AAP and Congress for the Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May this year. The two parties have reportedly paused seat-sharing talks in the border state.

Mann’s remarks are being seen as a setback to the seat-sharing talks between the two parties. Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha seats. Both AAP and Trinamool Congress are part of the INDIA bloc.

The AAP leader was asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks that her party Trinamool Congress would fight the Lok Sabha polls alone.

Mamata Banerjee said earlier in the day that the made by the party had not been accepted and Trinamool Congress would fight it alone in West Bengal.

“I had no discussions with the Congress party. I have always said that in Bengal, we will fight alone. I am not concerned about what will be done in the country but we are a secular party and in Bengal, we will alone will defeat BJP. I gave many proposals but they rejected them from the beginning. From then, we have decided to fight the elections in Bengal alone” the TMC supremo said.

The Bengal Chief Minister also claimed she had not been informed of Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra passing through Bengal.

“They did not even bother to inform me that they will be coming to West Bengal as a matter of courtesy even though I am a part of the INDIA bloc. So there is no with relation with me as far as Bengal is concerned” Mamata Banerjee said

“We will decide on what to do at the all-India level. We are a secular party. We will do whatever we can to defeat the BJP. The alliance does not comprise any one party. We have said that they should fight in some states and the regional parties should be left to fight alone in the other states. They should not interfere” she added.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has continued to attack the Bengal Chief Minister.

In a news conference on Tuesday Adhir Chowdhury claimed that in the 2011 elections, Mamata Banerjee came to power with the mercy of Congress.

“This time, the elections will not be fought at the mercy of Mamata Banerjee. The Congress defeated the BJP and TMC in the two seats that Mamata Banerjee is leaving. The Congress party knows how to contest the elections. Mamta Banerjee is an opportunist; she came to power in 2011, with the mercy of Congress,” the Congress MP said.

Rahul Gandhi who is in Assam as part of his Nyay Yatra tried to contain the damage by insisting that he had a good relationship with the TMC supremo.

“The negotiations on seat-sharing is underway, I don’t want to comment here. But Mamata Banerjee is very close to me and our party. Sometimes our leaders say something, their leaders say something, and it goes on. It’s a natural thing. Such comments won’t matter and these are not things that are going to disrupt things,” Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday.

The Trinamool Congress reportedly was willing to offer the Congress two to three Lok Sabha seats of the 42 seats in Bengal. In the 2019 elections, the Congress had won two Lok Sabha seats while the TMC had won 22 seats. (ANI)

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Army Pakistan Drone

Army To Deploy Drishti-10 Drones Near Pak Border In Punjab

By LokMarg

The Indian Army’s surveillance capability along the border with Punjab is all set to get a boost as the force is set to deploy its Drishti-10 medium-altitude, long-endurance drones at a forward base in the Punjab sector.

The drones are expected to be inducted into the force in the next two to three months by the Indian firm Adani Defence.

The Indian Army has placed orders for two of these drones from the firm under emergency provisions that mandate that the systems supplied by vendors should be more than 60 per cent indigenous and should be under the ‘Make in India’ in Defence.

The Indian Army has plans to deploy these drones in the Punjab sector, where it can keep an eye on a large area, including the desert sector as well as the areas north to the Punjab, military officials told ANI.

The Indian Army is already operating the Heron Mark 1 and Mark 2 drones and has also placed orders for the Drishti-10 or the Hermes-900 drones under the last tranche of the emergency procurements approved by the government for the forces.

Adani Defence had signed a deal with the Israeli firm Elbit for the transfer of technology for the drones and stated that it has indigenized 70 per cent of the birds and will work to increase it further.

The Indian Army has also inducted more satellite communication-enabled birds from Israel, as it has a few Heron Mark 2 birds in direct deals with Israeli Aircraft Industries.

The drones were unveiled earlier this week by Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Director General Army Aviation Lt Gen Ajay Suri in Hyderabad.

The Indian Navy is going to position them in Porbandar to keep an eye on the maritime boundary with Pakistan as well as the high seas, as the BiRa have the capability to fly for over 30 hours and cover a distance of around 2,000 km in one go. (ANI)

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IMD cold Wave Nothern INdia

North India Reels Under Cold Wave, Min Temp Between 7 And 12°C

By LokMarg

As the icy chill prevailed in the North Indian belt, the India Metrological Department (IMD) on Saturday recorded minimum temperatures in the range of 7-10°C over most parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, UP and north Rajasthan.

The minimum temperatures over most parts of Delhi, south Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also hovered between 7 and 10°C on Saturday morning, according to the national weather forecasting agency.

A bitter cold continues to hold vast swathes of North India in a tight embrace, sending shivers down spines and shrouding cities in dense fog.

Residents and locals have been pictured huddling around bonfires for warmth, their breath puffing into the frosty air as temperatures plummet to bone-chilling levels.

The cities up north, including Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Jaipur and the national capital reeled under a cold wave and dense fog on Saturday morning.

Significantly, a thick layer fog over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, north Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh at 8.30 am was captured in a satellite image by the India Metrological Department (IMD).

The Met department warned that “dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to continue in many places in Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan and Bihar on December 31 morning”.

Foggy conditions are also likely in isolated pockets of Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand from December 30 to January 2; Jharkhand on 30th; Odisha, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura on Saturday and Sunday, the Met office predicted.

Passengers travelling to and from the national capital also faced difficulties due to the foggy weather conditions, as several flights and trains were delayed and diverted due to low visibility.

According to sources, around 80 flights were reported to be delayed due to weather conditions at Delhi’s IGI Airport till 8.30 am on Saturday. (ANI)

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Punjab Bhagwant Mann

Punjab ASI Shot Dead In Amritsar, SAD Leader Attacks CM Mann

By LokMarg

An assistant sub-inspector of Punjab was shot dead here on Thursday night, officials said.

As per the police, ASI Saroop Singh posted to the city’s Nawad Pind police post was on a two-day leave.

“In fact, (he) went on leave yesterday evening itself. Then, according to his family members, he had an argument with someone over the phone. After that, when he was going from Khankot towards Dupurji via Link Road. A scuffle broke out there,” Sucha Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Amritsar Rural), said, adding that the deceased cop sustained a bullet wound near his ear.

Meanwhile, the former Punjab minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has criticised the Bhagwant Mann government over the deteriorating law and order in the state.

“Look at the situation in Punjab…This morning, assailants attacked and fatally shot ASI Saroop Singh, who was stationed at the Jandiala Guru police station, near the Khankot. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been busy organising big events first at Jalandhar, and yesterday in Ludhiana. Meanwhile, incidents of murder, robberies, and dacoities in Punjab have been rising every day. Punjab is now in God’s hands… Have some shame, Bhagwant Mann,” the SAD leader said in a post on the social media platform, X.

However, DSP Sucha Singh has denied any political angle in the matter and said that the murder has been carried out of a ‘personal enmity’.

“We have traced the accused, the case has turned out to be of a personal enmity. Police parties have been dispatched to arrest the accused. There is no political angle,” he said. (ANI)

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Punjab

Reached To Stop Farm Fires, Govt Official Made To Burn Stubble: Punjab

By LokMarg

A group of farmers in Punjab’s Bathinda district courted controversy after they allegedly forced a government official, who was part of a team to prevent farm fires, to burn the stubble lying in a field on Friday.

The incident came to light after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann posted a purported video of the entire incident on his X handle.

Condemning the incident, Mann said that an FIR has started being registered in the matter.

Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gulneet Singh Khurana said that the incident took place under the Nahian Wala police station limits in Mehma Sarja village.

“(A team of officials) had gone to Mehma Sarja village to convince the farmers not to burn the stubble. During this, the farmers there called their union and forced our civil administration’s officer, Harpreet Singh, to burn that stubble (lying on the field),” the police officer said.

SSP Khurana said that an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been lodged in the matter.

“We have registered an FIR in this matter. A total of 7 persons have been named in the FIR and action is being taken against other persons. The farm was owned by Ram Singh. Besides, the other members of the union present at the spot are being identified and raids are being conducted in the matter,” he added.

Stubble burning is widely prevalent in parts of the agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana.

It is a process of setting on fire the straw stubble left after the harvesting of grains like paddy, wheat, etc. The process of burning farm residue is one of the major causes of air pollution in parts of north India, deteriorating the air quality around this time of the year. Combined with vehicular emissions, it adversely affects the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital. (ANI)

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Delhi pollution

Stubble Burning In Haryana, UP, Causes Delhi’s Air Pollution: Rai

By LokMarg

Amid the spike in air pollution, Delhi Environment Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai said on Sunday that the stubble burning in Punjab does not have as much impact on the national capital as the smoke coming from farm fires in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The minister said that as per the Centre’s data, cases of stubble burning in Punjab have been reduced.

“Central government figures show that less stubble has been burned in Punjab this year in comparison to last year. Punjab’s stubble smoke does not have as much impact on Delhi as that of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. This is because there is no movement in the wind. Only if the wind blows, the smoke of Punjab will reach Delhi. Right now, there is smoke all around Delhi. The smoke of stubble from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is reaching Delhi,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the fourth consecutive day, the air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘Severe’ category on Sunday.

According to the data issued by SAFAR-India, the air quality in the Lodhi Road area was recorded at 385 (Very Poor) while at Delhi University area stands at 456 (Severe).

ANI drone camera footage from the Qutub Minar area showed a thick layer of haze in the air.

A morning walker in Lodhi Garden complained of difficulty in breathing due to an increase in pollution.

“The situation of pollution is extremely poor. It is difficult to breathe these days. Several people used to come to Lodhi Garden earlier, but now only 10 per cent of people are coming here. Pollution is at its maximum this year,” Manohar Lal said.

Another person, Ajay, said that the pollution is causing a burning sensation in the eyes.

“The situation of pollution is such that we are experiencing a burning sensation in our eyes. The situation was better earlier, but now it is getting worse,” he added.

A similar situation was recorded in Noida, as air quality plunged to the’severe’ category with AQI at 466, as per SAFAR-India.

Gurugram recorded an AQI of 392, keeping the air quality under the ‘Very Poor’ category.

According to doctors, for any healthy person, a recommended AQI should be less than 50, but these days the AQI has spiked beyond 400, which could prove fatal for those suffering from lung-related diseases and even poses a risk of lung cancer.

Amid the rise in pollution, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday sought responses from the Chief Secretaries of the affected states and directed to take immediate remedial action and submit the action taken report before the Tribunal.

NGT in a statement said that immediate action is required for the prevention and control of air pollution in these cities so as to ensure better air quality to the residents.

“In view of the NGT seeks response of Chief Secretaries of the States where the cities AQI has dipped to severe, very poor and poor, are directed to take immediate remedial action and submit action taken report before the Tribunal,” added the statement. (ANI)

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Rajkumar Verka

Punjab: BJP’s Rajkumar Verka Resigns From Party To Rejoin Cong

By LokMarg

Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Rajkumar Verka on Friday announced his resignation from the party adding that he is going to Delhi to rekindle ties with Congress.

The former Punjab minister, who left Congress in June last year and joined BJP, announced his decision to quit BJP during a press briefing at his residence in Amritsar today.

He said that joining the BJP was a big mistake and termed his rekindling ties with the Congress party ‘ghar wapsi’.

“After thinking for many days, I have decided that I am leaving the BJP. I am resigning from the BJP. After this, I am leaving for Delhi right now. I will join the Congress party,” Verka said at the press briefing.

He added, “I can say with certainty that BJP does not have a tradition of taking everyone along.” Verka also claimed that if any party can work for the interests of Punjab, it is only Congress.

Verka further said that as he rejoins Congress, many other former members of the party in Punjab will also bid goodbye to BJP and will rejoin Congress. After holding the press conference, Verka left for the airport, from where he will go straight to Delhi and meet the Congress top brass.

In fact, recently during Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Amritsar, there were discussions on Verka leaving BJP to join Congress.

Punjab BJP called Verka’s decision to quit the party “unfortunate” while also wishing him luck.

“It is very unfortunate. When he joined the BJP, he was given respect. He was made the Vice President of the Punjab State BJP. He was also nominated as a member of the top core decision-making committee of the party,” Punjab BJP Spokesperson Anil Sarin said while speaking to reporters in Patiala.

Sarin further said, “If he is leaving, and that too for joining the Congress, I think Raj Kumar Verka has to answer what the reasons were that he had left Congress and joined the BJP. And now what has happened in the Congress that he is joining it back. He has to answer. He must have had some political expectations that he thought could not be fulfilled here. But still, I would say that a person leaving the family is unfortunate. I wish him good luck.” (ANI)

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Delhi CM

Saurabh Defends Arrest Of Punjab Cong MLA In Drug Case

By LokMarg

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday defended the move by the AAP government in Punjab to have Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira arrested over alleged connections with a drug smuggling racket, saying that the narcotic menace could have a devastating impact on the state’s youth.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Bharadwaj said, “This matter had been in the high court earlier. Evidence (of the Congress leader’s link to the drug racket) had been presented before the high court as well. The evidence only serves to establish his connections with drug peddlers. Punjab’s youth are being addicted to drugs and spoilt.”

Advocating zero tolerance in such cases, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader added, “I don’t think even his party would stand with him as he has been found to be involved in a drug case,” he added.

Even as the ruling AAP and the Congress, which are partners in the Opposition bloc INDIA, were at loggerheads over the arrest of MLA Khaira in a drug case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his party was not against any leader but ‘drug menace’, urging “all parties” to join them in the ongoing crackdown.

While the Congress labelled the arrest as a demonstration of the AAP’s vindictive politics, the ruling party said it was part of their “zero-tolerance policy” against drugs.

Earlier, in 2015, two cases blew the lid off a cross-border drug smuggling network in Punjab’s Fazilka. One of these cases led to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards while the other was of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.

Nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case.

According to the chargesheet filed in the case, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is also accused to have sheltered him. The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.

On February 16,, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drug case. (ANI)

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