As Punjab increases river water supply to Rajasthan, Akali Dal to stage protest
Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 May, 2023 10:42 AM
Chandigarh, May 23 (IANS) With Punjab increasing river water supply to Rajasthan by 500 cusecs, the Shiromani Akali Dal said it would stage a protest in Abohar on Wednesday against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's "surrender on river waters".
Party President Sukhbir Badal will lead the protest that will begin at 11 a.m.
The reports quoted Rajasthan leader Hanuman Beniwal claiming that a commitment to this effect had been made by Mann during their meeting at Bathinda on Sunday.
Badal said that the Akali Dal, as the guardian of the interests of Punjab, would not remain a mute witness to AAP government's surrender and loot of Punjab's river waters through "a secret and arbitrary sell out" to Rajasthan.
"We asked the Punjab CM to clarify his position on the reports but although more than a day has passed since the reports appeared, he still chooses to hide behind silence in order to quietly go ahead with the surrender. We won't allow this to happen," he said.
Badal said this latest "surrender" by the AAP government was merely a continuation of a long history of betrayals of Punjab's and Panth's vital interests on every religious, economic, territorial and river waters issues.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrival has always led in this loot of Punjab's river waters to both Haryana and Delhi and Mann has always quietly and meekly acquiesced in this loot, he alleged.
"Clearly under instructions from his boss Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann has now agreed to sign away more river water to Rajasthan, dealing a death blow to the already beleaguered farmers of Punjab and to the overall economy of the state.
"Mann had earlier virtually surrendered Punjab's legitimate claim on Chandigarh by begging for space in its own capital to set up a separate legislative assembly instead of asking Haryana to shift out of here, Badal added.
Alok Kumar, DCP Special Cell, said: "On April 8, acting on a secret information, the police laid a trap near Ghazipur Subzi Mandi and two key members of the syndicate were finally held with 2 kg of heroin." During questioning, Mohammad Alam disclosed that he had been supplying heroin for the last two years to different people in Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
In the last 24 hours, 441 doses were administered. The country has so far administered 220.66 crore vaccine doses. The active cases stand at 0.09 per cent and the recovery rate is 98.72 per cent.
"During checking, the police recovered 23 packets of heroin, weighing 24.295 kg, concealed in the enclosure of their car windows," the DGP said, adding that another chunk of 12 packets of heroin, weighing 12.620 kg, were recovered from the location disclosed by the accused.
On April 5, the ED had informed special judge Nagpal that it has found fresh evidence indicating Sisodia's involvement in the alleged excise policy scam, and the investigation is at a crucial stage. The court had extended the AAP leader's custody till April 17 in this case.
Senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra told the media here that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has failed to present the state's case for exemption from value cuts on wheat properly to the Centre due to which the cuts have been imposed.
Akash Kaushal, Additional Deputy Commissioner, West Delhi Police, said that the accused was identified as Abdul. His aides are absconding. They only played video of a girl using another mobile and would record it to extort money. The police official added that on March 23, a man lodged a complaint in this regard.
