Cong manifesto hints at implementing Rajiv-Longowal pact
The Congress in Punjab has almost committed in its election manifesto
to getting the 1985 Rajiv-Longowal accord implemented if the party
is returned to power in the February 7 assembly poll.
The manifesto, released at a press conference by AICC General
Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jalandhar on Tuesday, January 28,
without mentioning the accord by name, says efforts would be made
to get included all those Punjabi speaking areas left out during
the reorganisation of the state in 1966.
The manifesto also committed the party to endeavour to get Chandigarh
transferred to Punjab. It would also strive to get the state's
share of the river waters distributed in accordance with internationally
accepted riparian principles.
The party stand on the issue of transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi
speaking areas to Punjab was a replica of the election manifesto
of the Akali Dal (Badal) released in Jalandhar a day before.
However, while accepting the riparian principle in respect of
the distribution of river water, the Congress manifesto was silent
on whether the party abided by the past accords on the issue.
The Akali manifesto, on the other hand, rejected all the past
accords, agreements and decisions on the river water issue and
demanded scrapping of the SYL Project, which was part of the Rajiv-Longowal
accord.
While reiterating its commitment to take up the unimplemented
part of the 50-point action plan announced by Chief Minister Rajinder
Kaur Bhattal at the party's political conference at Ludhiana on
December 22 and approved by the cabinet in its meeting on December
30, the manifesto is silent on the party promise to set up a state
human rights commission which the Akali manifesto has committed
to establish.
The Congress manifesto is also silent on the establishment of
state administrative tribunal for speedy disposal of service matters.
It reiterated the commitments listed in the action plan to abolish
octroi and land revenue, 30 per cent reservation for women in
political, social and economic fields as also in government jobs.
The manifesto is silent on the setting up of land utilisation
board for acquiring farmers' land at the market price.
The Akali manifesto, however, promised to ban acquisition of fertile
land for setting up industry. The Congress manifesto promised
to increase reservation for backward classes in accordance with
the recommendations of the second commission set up by the government
to implement the Mandal Commission report.
The manifesto listed a 23-point package for implementation which
it said had been approved by the Bhattal cabinet in its meeting
held on December 30. The package, however, could not be implemented
because of the announcement of polls in Punjab by the Election
Commission.
The package sought to give free bus travel facility to women widowed
by terrorist violence, increase in the marriage grant from Rs
10,000 to Rs 25,000 to girls from families affected by terrorism,
raise in the monthly pension from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 to widows
of such families, setting up of a health corporation with the
World Bank grant, free education to girls up to graduation level
in government institutions and free training in ITIs and polytechnics,
reservation of jobs for physically handicapped, setting up of
a corporation to export agricultural products, free travel facility
to women above 60 years of age and group health scheme for all
students of up to 21 years of age and raise in commission of arhtiyas
from two to two and half per cent.
The manifesto supports farmers' demand to export their agriculture
produce and subsidy on water, power, fertiliser and insecticides.
It reiterated the promise to end ''inspector raj'' and abolish
sales tax barriers.
Without naming Operation Bluestar, the Congress manifesto described
it as ''Punjab's most unfortunate incident'' but held the Akalis
and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee responsible for
it.
It said the seeds of terrorism were sown during the Akali regime
of Parkash Singh Badal following the Sikh-Nirankari clash in 1978
when an Akali minister allegedly led a group of Akali party activists
to stop the Nirankari Sammelan at Amritsar.
It said terrorism began with the murder of noted freedom fighter
and journalist Lala Jagat Narain and many leaders like Hit Abhilashi
and Harbans Lal Khanna of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Darshan
Singh Canadian and Sumeet of Communist Party of India, Choudhary
Jagat Ram and Joginder Pal Pandey of the Congress, Sant Harchand
Singh Longowal and Rajinder Kaur of the Akali Dal lost their lives
in terrorist violence.
This, the manifesto added, led to confrontation between moderate
and hardliner Akalis and a purely economic issue of river water
distribution and some political issues were given the name of
''dharamyudh morcha'' and an agitation was launched from the holy
precincts of the Golden Temple Complex.
The manifesto charged the Akalis with supporting terrorism, whereas
all secular parties supported the Congress in trying to calm the
situation. The brief interlude of the Akali government of Surjit
Singh Barnala collapsed under its own weight because certain top
Akali leaders opposed their own party government because of fear
of terrorists.
The Congress manifesto charged the Akalis with boycotting the
1992 elections under terrorists' threat and alleged that certain
Akalis had expressed their readiness to take part in the poll
provided it was declared to be a referendum on the Sikh state
of Khalistan.
This, amounted to the Akalis' open support to separatism.
The party claimed credit for restoring peace and holding elections
to panchayats and municipal bodies. It gave a call to fight communalist,
disruptive, anti-national and fundamentalist forces and alleged
such forces in the form of ''unholy alliance'' between the Akali
Dal (Badal) and the BJP were again trying to plunge Punjab into
the fire of terrorism.
The Congress appealed to the people to guard against this conspiracy
and support secular and nationalist forces which were committed
to maintaining peace and communal amity in Punjab.
PPCC President Santokh Singh Randhawa offered to quit politics
if the allegation of harbouring terrorists was proved against
him.
Former federal minister Buta Singh charged BJP leader Madan Lal
Khurana with having declared Hindi as his mother tongue even while
claiming to be a new messiah for the Punjabi language.
Azad said the Congress has adopted independent Avtar Singh Sidhu
as the party candidate in Muktsar from where former chief minister
Harcharan Singh Brar has withdrawn his nomination as the Congress
nominee. Brar has since been expelled from the party.
Former ministers Balram Jakhar, R L Bhatia and Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder
and AICC Joint Secretary Ambika Soni were also present at the
press conference.
UNI
Akali Dal manifesto reveals divergence
of views with BJP
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