COURTESY HT JAN 5

Sukhbir accuses Centre of misusing governor’s office

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal addressing a gathering in Patiala on Monday. BHARAT BHUSHAN/HT
HT Correspondents

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

PATIALA/Chandigarh/sangrur : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday accused the Centre of misusing the office of the Punjab governor by summoning the state’s top officers for explanations. Badal also asked the governor not to become a “mouthpiece” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The SAD also announced that the party will oppose any attempt to impose governor’s rule in Punjab. Badal alleged that the office of the governor was being misused in the same manner as was being done in West Bengal.

Opposing the summoning of Punjab chief secretary and police chief, the SAD chief said they had submitted a number of memoranda concerning public issues such as hooch tragedy, liquor and sand mafia with the governor but the latter did not act on a single issue.

Addressing a congregation at Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi Nauvi and farmers from the district who died during the ongoing agitation, the SAD president also took on chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, saying instead of objecting to the governor’s action through the media, he should have stopped his officers from going to the Raj Bhavan.

Also, cabinet ministers Vijay Inder Singla and Sunder Sham Arora on Monday slammed the BJP for alleged misuse of the constitutional posts to weaken the democratically elected government in the state. In a statement here, the two ministers said the governors in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra earlier tried to throttle the elected governments and now the Punjab governor was acting like a puppet of BJP leadership.

Punjab BJP should pressurise Centre to repeal laws: Dhindsa Jr

SAD (Democratic) leader and Lehra MLA Parminder Singh Dhindsa on Monday asked the Punjab BJP leaders to put pressure on the central government to repeal three farm laws “instead of holding meetings to provoke people”. “I condemn lathicharge on farmers who were opposing BJP state president’s visit,” he said.