Will oppose unfair, faulty, undemocratic delimitation, says Punjab CM

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Chennai, March 22 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced his state will vehemently oppose the “unfair, faulty, and undemocratic delimitation” being done by the BJP-led Union government “to muzzle the voice of the opposition parties”.

“This shameful act of the BJP to reduce the seats in the states where they can’t win is undemocratic and we won’t allow the saffron party to succeed in its nefarious designs to weaken the democracy,” said the Chief Minister while participating in a conference organised by his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin.

Chief Minister Mann said this arbitrary move of the Union government is just aimed at eliminating the Opposition parties by reducing the seats where the BJP is not able to win. He said that contrary to this, the BJP is trying its level best to enhance the seats in the Hindi belt where it gets most of the seats.

He said: “It is ironic that in the name of population density, the seats are being reduced in South Indian seats”. The Chief Minister said as a fact of the matter, the southern states are being punished for zealously implementing population control programmes. He said it would not be a surprise if the BJP enhances the tally of seats in Uttar Pradesh from 80 to more than 140 after the delimitation.

Mann said the idea “is to bifurcate or even trifurcate the seats which are the stronghold of the saffron party and to carve out more winning seats from it”.

Giving an example, the Chief Minister said the Lok Sabha seat earlier represented by him was Sangrur which comprised three districts – Sangrur, Barnala and Malerkotla. He said supposing this seat was the monopoly of the BJP, then as per their current designs, they would have trifurcated this seat in three and carved out Sangrur, Barnala, and Malerkotla as separate Lok Sabha seats. Mann said this is how the BJP intends to increase the Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 or more to consolidate its position.

The Chief Minister said the BJP “wants to eliminate the belts where they are weak and enhance the seats where they are strong”. However, he said this “is intolerable, unwarranted and undesirable adding that it will be opposed tooth and nail”.

He alleged that the BJP “wants to humiliate Punjab, which has made enormous sacrifices in the national freedom struggle, through this delimitation”. He said currently the state has 13 Lok Sabha seats through which the share of Punjab in the temple of democracy is 2.39 per cent. However, Mann said the BJP “intends to increase Lok Sabha seats in the state to 18 but it will reduce the percentage of state’s share to 2.11 per cent”.

–IANS

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The crime was actually part of a broader conspiracy linked to Khalistani terrorist Arsh Dala. The agency has framed serious charges against the accused, given the conspiracy and execution of the plot by them.

The three individuals, identified as Sachin alias Praveen alias Dholia, Yogesh alias Monu, and Vijay alias Kale, have been charged for their roles in conspiring to execute the attack on the hotel.

The probe by the agency has revealed that the trio were in direct contact with Arsh Dala, a Canada-based designated terrorist, as well as several other individuals, including Dinesh Gandhi, Sorav Kataria, Kaushal Chaudhary, and Manisha, who were allegedly involved in the conspiracy.

Narender alias Lally and Puneet, who were identified as attackers, were said to have been tasked with carrying out the firing as part of the larger plot orchestrated by the accused with the aid of Dala.

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The NIA’s chargesheet highlights the collaboration between the accused and Arsh Dala’s network.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA (P) Act], including sections 16, 17, 18, and 20, as well as Section 3/25 (1) AA of the Arms Act.

Sachin and Yogesh face charges under the more severe sections of the law for their roles in the conspiracy, while Vijay has been charged under sections 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act and for offences related to the possession and use of arms.

The case has drawn significant attention due to its connection to international terror networks, highlighting the growing concerns over the involvement of terrorists operating from abroad in fuelling violence in India. The NIA continues its investigation as it works to uncover further details regarding the involvement of other individuals in the attack.

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How do 101 farmers on foot pose threat to national peace, asks Pandher

Chandigarh, Dec 14 (IANS) Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday questioned the government’s stance, asking how a group of 101 farmers walking on foot towards Delhi could be considered a threat to national peace and order. Dwelling on the decision of Working President of the All India Kisan Congress and wrestler, Bajrang Punia, to join the farmers, he said that they have no problem with a sportsperson or celebrity joining the stir, but want to keep political parties away.

Ahead of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ foot march, Pandher compared the ongoing farmers’ protest to the Parliament’s Constitution debate.

“Only 101 farmers will head towards Delhi today at 12:00 P.M. Every movement has its purpose. Despite the government’s efforts and military barriers, our voices have reached 140 crore citizens. The voice of Shambhu and Khanauri is resonating across the country, and the Prime Minister must respect this voice,” Pandher told IANS.

He further questioned, “While Parliament discusses the Constitution, do Shambhu and Khanauri follow a different Constitution? How can 101 individuals walking peacefully, pose a threat to peace and order?”

Pandher also expressed concern over the health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 19 days at the Khanauri border.

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Dwelling on the decision of wrestler Bajrang Punia to join the farmers, Pandher said that they have no issue with a sportsperson or celebrity joining the stir, but want to keep political parties away.

He also stated that they expect to convince farmers from other organisations, who have stayed out of the stir till now, to join the movement.

The farmers are resuming their march to demand the fulfilment of their long-pending issues, including a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and loan waivers.

Since February 13, the farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana, following the government’s efforts to halt their previous attempts to reach Delhi. The protest is being held under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

Earlier, Pandher announced the decision to march towards Delhi, emphasising the symbolic importance of the struggle. Farmers had prayed at Sikh shrines to express solidarity and seek blessings for their movement’s success.

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During earlier march attempts, clashes with security forces led to the use of teargas shells to disperse the farmers. The protestors temporarily suspended their march on December 8 after several were injured.

Despite these setbacks, the farmers remain steadfast in their demands for legal reforms to improve the agricultural sector. Haryana Police had previously cited prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to justify their actions in stopping the protestors.

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Maha Minister files breach of privilege notices against Sanjay Raut, Rohit Pawar; Speaker refers to committee

Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Thursday accepted three separate privilege motions filed by Minister of Rural Development and BJP leader Jaykumar Gore against Saamna executive editor and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, NCP(SP) Legislator Rohit Pawar and YouTube channel Laibhari and the journalist Tushar Kharat for defaming and maligning his image by making allegations in connection with a 2017 case.

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