Punjab will fight for claim over Chandigarh: Cheema
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Mar, 2022 11:14 AM
Chandigarh, March 28 (IANS) Saying Punjab will fight for its claim over Chandigarh, state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said the Centre was adopting a "dictatorial attitude" and was "continuously imposing anti-Punjab decisions".
"If they do not refrain from this, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Punjab government will fight from road to Parliament," he told the media here.
Cheema was responding the Centre's decision on new rules governing the Chandigarh Administration employees, who are currently working under the Punjab service rules but will now come under the Central Civil Services Rules.
He said the people of Punjab would never allow the Central government's plans to end Punjab's participation in the Chandigarh administration, Panjab University, and Bhakra Beas Management Committee (BBMB) to succeed.
Cheema accused the traditional ruling parties - the Congress and the BJP - at the Centre of treating Punjab in a step-motherly manner.
"Since the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Modi government has intensified its attacks on the rights of Punjab.
"The Modi government has been implementing decisions for a long time to abolish Punjab's share in Punjab University, BBMB and the Chandigarh administration and now Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced to remove Punjab service rules in the Chandigarh administration and implement Central rules.
"The verdict is one of coercion and dictatorship, which is a grand conspiracy against the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab," he alleged.
Cheema said the BJP government has neither talked to the Punjab government nor any such demand has been made by the employees regarding the change of service rules. "It is implementing anti-Punjab rulings under a grand conspiracy as the BJP is now threatened by AAP in Gujarat and other states after Punjab."
All Indian students who were stuck in Sumy area of war-torn Ukraine have been successfully airlifted through Operation Ganga, the government said on Monday. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that they had apprehensions but their mission to evacuate Indian students was successful.
The Minister was talking ahead of the session he will be chairing as part of the Regional Conference with Ministers from six states and UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands to review the progress made under Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen on Wednesday.
The price of crude oil in the international market has reached $117 per barrel. According to experts, if the Russia-Ukraine war continues, then crude oil prices could reach $ 185 per barrel.
"Under 'Operation Ganga' to rescue Indian citizens, 1,314 Indians have been airlifted today by seven special civilian flights from Ukraine's neighbouring countries. With this, more than 17,400 Indians have been brought back since the special flights began on 22nd February, 2022."
Channi also said that 997 students from the state were in Ukraine, out of whom 420 have returned, and 200 students have reached Poland and are safe but some of the people are still stuck in Ukraine.
In 2017, the Aam Aadmi Party had got around 23 per cent votes but the projections for this election is 39 per cent, while Congress seems to have lost around 11 per cent votes, against in last election's over 38 per cent now, to around 26 per cent and may see its tally come down from 77 seats to 25 seats.
