Chandigarh, Mar 5 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday slammed the AAP government in Punjab, accusing it rolling out the “red carpet” to party chief Arvind Kejriwal upon his arrival in the state.
Kejriwal arrived in Hoshiarpur on Tuesday for a 10-day ‘Vipassana’ session at the Dhamma Dhaja Vipassana Centre (DDVC) in the Anandgarh village.
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema lashed out at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. “He should tell why Kejriwal was being accorded a welcome reserved for heads of states when he does not have any constitutional authority and has no relation with Punjab”.
Kejriwal has been practising ‘Vipassana’ for the past some years, and has visited mediation centres at several places such as Jaipur, Nagpur, Dharamkot near Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), and Bengaluru to practice the ancient meditation system.
This is the second time he has come to Anandgarh for his ‘Vipassana’ session. His first session here was from December 21-30, 2023.
Vipassana is an ancient Indian meditation technique focused on self-transformation through self-observation.
Kejriwal has not made much public appearance since he lost the election from the New Delhi seat in the February 5 Assembly polls in Delhi. He has kept himself confined to party activities since the results were announced on February 8.
Among other issues, opposition SAD also chided the AAP government for police action against protesting farmers who were not allowed to enter Chandigarh to launch their week-long sit-in protest in support of their various demands.
It was condemnable that a “curfew-like” situation was created for the ‘Annadaata’ and they were not being allowed to come to the capital to register their protest even though a “red carpet welcome” was being accorded to Arvind Kejriwal with “more than 100 vehicles escorting him for a Vipassana session”, he claimed.
The Punjab Police thwarted farmers’ attempt to go to Chandigarh on the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s call for their week-long ‘dharna’ beginning Wednesday in support of their various demands, as multiple barricades and checkpoints were set up across the state and security stepped up at all entry points of the Union Territory.
Cheema said even as the rights of farmers were being violated in Punjab, neighbouring states like Rajasthan have announced a bonus of Rs 150 per quintal on the forthcoming wheat crop.
“Punjab farmers have not received the promised minimum support price on Moong and Maize and have also not been given compensation for repeated crop losses,” he claimed in a statement.
“The truth is that corruption has been institutionalised under the AAP government even as the political nexus in drug trade has resulted in a sharp increase in drug addiction and overdose-related deaths,” he alleged.
On the ongoing SAD’s membership drive, Cheema said it was nearing completion with 20 lakh membership slips being received by the party and around 10 lakh more expected over the next few days.
He thanked the entire party rank and file for their hard work in reaching out to each and every party worker at the grassroots level.
He also announced that a meeting of the observers and party’s parliamentary board would be held on March 10 to elect delegates following which the process for election of the entire party organisation would begin.
Cheema said the committee appointed by the Akal Takht had been granted full cooperation by the SAD but its few members were working on their “own agenda” to “damage” the party.
“Working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar invited the members of the committee to the party office but they declined the invitation. They were also invited to take membership copies as per their requirements but they declined to do so,” he said.
Some members continued to put undue pressure on the committee coordinator Harjinder Singh Dhami due he and veteran leader Kirpal Singh Badungar resigned as members of the Committee, he said.
The SAD leader also said the working committee alone had the right to take a decision on recruitment and enrolment of new members of the party. PTI CHS TIR TIR
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