BJP-led alliance promises to waive debt of Punjab farmers
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Feb, 2022 12:56 PM
Chandigarh, Feb 4 (IANS) Eyeing to woo the farmers, who constitute an influential electoral cohort, the BJP-Punjab Lok Congress-Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) alliance on Friday released 11 resolutions for Punjab Assembly polls with a promise to waive the debt of farmers having less than five acres of land.
It promised a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to families hit by terrorism, if the alliance comes to power in the February 20 poll.
Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said the alliance government will set up a special task force to probe the sacrilege incidents and fast-track courts to try such cases.
The alliance promised to provide quality education, a government college in every tehsil and introducing the right to skill education.
Two-time Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said the NDA government in Punjab would increase an ex-gratia grant given to soldiers who lay down their lives fighting for the nation to Rs 1 crore from Rs 50 lakh.
The alliance promised to introduce new technologies to curb the mining and liquor mafia and the Lokayukta to take on corruption cases, besides a task force to tackle the drug problem at the district level and a dope test for candidates contesting any elections.
About 2 crore voters of Punjab had voted the Congress, then led by Amarinder Singh, to a landslide victory in the 2017 Assembly election giving the party 77 seats in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha.
It later won three more seats in the bypolls held in October 2019, taking its strength to 80.
Assembly elections in Punjab will be held on February 20 and the counting of ballots on March 10.
Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Punjab and many players from the state have been integral parts of the national team. The 117-member Punjab Assembly will go to the polls on February 14, while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve all records in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab, and also asked the state and Central committees to refrain from conducting inquiries till Monday, when it will take up the matter again.
India on Friday revised the existing guidelines for all international arrivals in India in view of the rising Covid cases and the Omicron threat, to make seven days home quarantine mandatory. The new guidelines will be effective from January 11 till further notice.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister's rally in Ferozepur had to be cancelled due to a security lapse after some protesters blocked a route and forced his convoy to spend about 20 minutes on a flyover. The Prime Minister was enroute the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala when the incident happened.
On Thursday, senior BJP leaders including chief ministers of the party ruled states offered prayers at temples across the country for the well-being and long life of Prime Minister Modi after his security was breached in Punjab on January 5.
Most of these farmers had earlier stated that they were present at the spot but were not involved in the attack. They were, at that time, charged under bailable sections such as 'rioting' and 'voluntarily causing hurt' and were let off by the SIT officials under Section 41 of the CrPC.
