Much delayed step: Punjab CM Channi on farm laws repeal
On the farm laws repeal, Punjab CM Channi also added that the state would build a memorial for those who died during the protest at the Delhi borders
Ludhiana/Batala/Gurdaspur Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday said that farmers should stay ‘vigilant’ until the three farm laws were not repealed by the Centre, following due process in Parliament and the move had been much delayed. Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of a new sugar mill in Batala, Channi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had just made an announcement and the laws are yet to be abolished.
“Repealing of laws is baseless until and unless the guarantee of MSP for crops is not made. The Punjabis must not sit idle but should be extra vigilant until the entire process of scraping the laws is completed,” Channi said.
Channi also announced that the state government will construct a memorial in the name of farmers who died in the year-long protest.
Earlier in the day, during a visit to Bhaini Sahib, he had said that sports infrastructure available there will be replicated at the block and district level across the state. Channi is the second Congress CM to have visited Bhaini Sahib during this government’s term; in November 2017, the then CM Captain Amarinder Singh had also visited Bhaini Sahib.
The visit is considered to be significant in the wake of the Vidhan Sabha elections next year. The Namdhari sect enjoys considerable clout across the region, particularly in Sahnewal and Samrala assembly constituencies.
CM Channi met Namdhari Sect head Satguru Uday Singh, former Punjab Congress chief HS Hanspal and other eminent Namdharis. Samrala MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon; Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Singh Cheema; MLA Gill and chairman Punjab State Warehouse Corporation Kuldeep Singh Vaid accompanied Channi.
TO MEET AKAL TAKHT JATHEDAR
ON LIVE TELECAST OF GURBANI
To end the ‘monopoly of one TV channel’, Channi said he would soon meet Akal Takht jathedar with a proposal to allow other channels also to telecast live Gurbani Kirtan from Sri Darbar Sahib on a par with PTC network that has already been exclusively permitted for the same.
“The transport mafia operated by the Badals has been broken by my government. The next target it to break the back of the cable mafia,” he added. At Beas in Amritsar, Channi dedicated a state-of-the-art building of the newly constructed sub-tehsil complex to the people of the state. The Radhaa Soami Satsang Beas has donated this ₹5-crore building to the government.
Making announcements to further boost infrastructure in Beas, Baba Bakala and adjoining areas, CM Channi said the construction of a ₹10 crore ITI will start soon. Expressing gratitude to Radha Soami Satsang Beas for creating such a modern infrastructure, CM Channi said that now the more than 70,000 residents of nearly 30 villages would directly benefitted from this facility at Beas.