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Religion

SAD forms committee to assist SGPC in celebrating 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji.

November 11, 2018 05:48 PM

Chandigarh, – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) core committee today formed a nine member committee to assist the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in celebrating the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in a befitting manner, even as it demanded the immediate sacking of Education minister O P Soni for forcefully distributing distorted history books to school children.

The Core Committee, which met under the chairmanship of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, also condemned the Congress government for passing dictates ordering farmers to delay transplantation of paddy by ten days. It said this had resulted in higher moisture content and now farmers were suffering in mandis and even being exploited by unscrupulous elements. The Core Committee demanded farmers be compensated at the rate of Rs 15, 000 per acre for the drop in yield due to the faulty decision of the government to delay transplantation and resultant problems including late sowing of the wheat crop.

The Core Committee also condemned the government for not announcing an enhanced SAP (State Advised Price) for sugarcane and said it was hell bent on driving farmers to suicide by refusing to come to their aid in their time of dire crisis. Asking the Congress government to increase the SAP by Rs 50 on the pattern of the SAD-BJP government, it said SAP of Rs 360 per quintal should be announced immediately. The Committee also asked the government to expedite payment of sugarcane dues to farmers and announced that it would hold two dharnas at Gurdaspur on November 26 and Morinda on November 28 to show solidarity with sugarcane farmers and demand resolution of their problems.

The Core Committee meanwhile formed a nine member committee to assist the SGPC in celebrating the 550th anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji on a grand scale. The committee includes Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Jathedar Tota Singh, Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Dr Upinderjit Kaur, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Harcharan Bains and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema who has been appointed Coordinator of the Committee.

The Core Committee also took note of a letter written by Prof Kirpal Singh explaining why distortions had been printed in the new Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) history books of class eleven and twelve which were withdrawn after the SAD took up the issue forcefully. It noted that Prof Kirpal Singh had not only vindicated the stand taken by the SAD but also pinned down the blame for the intolerable distortions and insults inflicted on the Guru Sahiban to Education minister O P Soni. It said now that Prof Kirpal Singh himself had admitted that the history text books had been distorted and that the Education minister had forcefully released the same despite written objections by him, Mr O P Soni should be sacked from the State cabinet immediately.

The Core Committee also decided that the party would hold a dharna on November 14 at Jalandhar to demand immediate release SC Post Matric scholarship amount of Rs 444 crore received from centre to SC students immediately. It said the party would hold a State wide stir and demand high level inquiry into misuse of central funds meant for SC scholarship. It noted that SC students had been denied admission into private colleges due to the government’s refusal to release scholarships received for them from the centre. It said this gross discrimination with dalits proved the Congress government had scant concern for them had befooled them with false promises to get their votes in the last assembly elections.

Those attending the meeting included SGPC President Bhai Gobind Singh Longowal, Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Jathedar Tota Singh, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Hari Singh Zira, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Bibi Upinderjit Kaur, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Dr Daljit Cheema, Baldev Singh Mann and Avtar Singh Hit.

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