Chandigarh, Feb 9 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday described AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal a "snake in the grass let loose in Punjab by corporate and the anti-Sikh lobbies".
Talking to the media here, Harcharan Bains, Principal Adviser to SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, asked farm organisations and their leaders, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Balbir Singh Rajewal, to wake up to the shocking reality that although the farmers movement forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to revoke the three "black" farm laws, the most dangerous of these laws is still in force in Delhi with Kejriwal refusing to annul it in the state assembly.
He said, "It is shocking that while the entire country has rejected these laws, Kejriwal typically quietly keeps them in force. One can well imagine what his true anti-farmer intent and agenda in Punjab is."
Bains said Kejriwal "has also filed a case against Punjab farmers and sought a fine of Rs 1 crore per case of stubble warning even when the Supreme Court itself refused to blame the Delhi pollution on the farmers of Punjab and even delivered a rebuff to the Delhi Chief Minister".
The Akali Dal spokesman said that while the AAP leader is promising to abolish private bus operators and ending the mafia raj in liquor trade, the fact is that he has "virtually killed" the DTC in his own state.
"As for stopping liquor trade from passing into the hands of the mafia through public distribution and sale by the government-run liquor shops, Kejriwal has handed over the entire liquor trade to the liquor mafia patronised by big business houses," Bains added.
The farmers' agitation against the three contentious farm laws, which were later revoked, will not impact BJP's victory in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections as the peasants of western part of the state will vote in favour of the party, a veteran BJP leader said.
The number of Indian billionaires grew from 102 to 142, while 84 per cent of households in the country suffered a decline in their income in 2021, which was also a year marked by tremendous loss of life and livelihoods, according to non profit Oxfam India's latest report published on Monday. The report 'Inequality Kills' comes ahead of the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda.
From Covid-19 putting pressure on the Indian healthcare system to India's struggle with climate change, specially mentioning the Mumbai floods, Covid's impact of Indian school children from the rural areas to new emerging mental health problems among the public, the WEF has already mentioned all in its India-centric reports.
Hours after quitting as the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Ferozepur (Rural) constituency in Punjab on Monday, Ashu Bangar was inducted into the Congress by party Chief Minister Charanjit Channi. Channi in Chandigarh announced that Bangar would be party's candidate from the Ferozepur (Rural) seat as he is young with dreams to serve society.
An unattended bag was found in Delhi's Ghazipur area on Friday morning triggering panic in the area. A Fire Department Official told IANS that a call was received around 10.20 a.m. regarding an unattended bag in the Ghazipur flower market after which one fire engine was rushed to the spot.
On behalf of Clean Air Punjab, Gurpreet Singh of the Punjab Development Forum and Director of United Sikhs submitted a dossier containing the recommendations to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Cheema, AAP legislator Aman Arora and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Bajwa.
