India / Blocking highways, climbing water tanks not the way to get yourself heard: Punjab CM

Amritsar: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi asked the protesters to desist from climbing atop overhand water tanks or blocking highways to press the state government to accept their demands.

“Whosoever climbs up to the overhead water tank, I will not accept his demand. FIR can be registered against him,” said Channi in Barnala.

“When I am always available and ready to meet each and every union member, what is the need to protest? Climbing atop a water tank or blocking highways is not the way to get yourself heard. You just trouble common man. I am aware that many employees have pending demands and they need to be resolved. Come and meet me before code of conduct is implemented,” he added.

Channi faced protests by various employees unions and unemployed persons on his visit visit to Barnala where he had to attend three different programmes.

A group of unemployed teachers held a protest near the venue where he was to address a public gathering near the Dana Mandi. They also raised slogans against the Congress government demanding jobs. As soon as they started raising slogans, policemen in civil dress stopped them by covering their mouths with their hands. In the melee, the turban of some of protesters came off.

The security personnel took the teachers to a police van and then detained them, said officials.

Another group of unemployed teachers, including women, and contractual employees of the National Health Mission also blocked the Bathinda-Chandigarh highway against the state government over their demands. The blockade led to a traffic jam, forcing the administration to divert traffic, they said. A scuffle also broke out between some protesters and policemen as the cops tried to remove them from the road. Later, police forcibly remove them from the highway.

Meanwhile, Channi slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and asked the people to wipe them out from the electoral scene in the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former CM Capt Amarinder Singh and the Badals were “hand in glove to barter away the interests of Punjab be it agriculture, industry or common man’s cause”, according to an official statement.

Addressing a public rally, Channi asked the people to identify these “dubious politicians who are hell bent upon to exploit them emotionally to the hilt.”

He hit out at AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making “tall claims” to provide financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month to every woman in the state, if voted to power. Channi also dared him to come out with facts and figures to show that this relief has been extended to how many women in Delhi.

Likewise, Channi said people of Punjab are wise enough and they will not be betrayed this time by Kejriwal’s “false” promises as he and his party has been “fully exposed” on count of “non-performance which is evident from the fact that 11 out of 20 AAP MLAs had already shifted their loyalty to other political parties”.

The Punjab chief minister also asked Kejriwal to specify how many farmers have got the facility of loan waiver or getting free power in the agriculture sector in Delhi.

Training guns at SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Channi said that the father-son duo along with his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal were “instrumental”, in getting the “draconian laws” enacted at the Centre. Channi further asked Badal to desist from threatening the police and civil officers as they were discharging their duties with due diligence.

He dared them to face the music for their “misdeeds” during decade long “misrule for the unpardonable acts of sacrilege, besides the drug, transport and cable mafia which has virtually defunct the state’s resources thus enriching their personal coffers.”