Punjab CM to boycott inaugural ceremony of new Parliament
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 May, 2023 11:44 AM
Chandigarh, May 24 (IANS) Slamming the Union government for demeaning the position of President of the country by not inviting her to the inaugural ceremony of new Parliament, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said he would not attend the function slated to be held on May 28.
In a statement here, the Chief Minister said whenever the new session of Parliament is called every MP is invited by the President to attend the session. However, he said it is ironical that the constitutional head of the government has not even been invited to the function to mark inauguration of the new Parliament.
Mann said this is 'mockery of the Constitution' which is totally unwarranted and undesirable.
The Chief Minister said the Constitution has been framed by a visionary leader like Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who had enshrined basic values to ensure that democracy works successfully. However, he said as a part of deep-rooted conspiracy, the NDA government led by the BJP is showing grave disrespect to the founding fathers of the Constitution by indulging in such tantrums.
Mann said the countrymen would never accept it and would teach a befitting lesson to the BJP in the coming days.
The Chief Minister said his conscience doesn't allow him to attend any such event where the "power mad government" has not even bothered to invite the constitutional head of the country.
Therefore, he said, they will boycott this event and will not attend it as a mark of protest against the high handedness of the BJP and its allies.
Mann unequivocally said they would have loved to attend this event, had the President dedicated this new Parliament to the people of country.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday declared a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh on the head of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa, a prime accused in connection with the rocket launcher attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May last year.
The personal search of the passenger resulted in recovery of two strips wrapped with white adhesive tape containing brown coloured paste in a transparent packing. He was hiding it in his underwear. After the extraction procedure four uneven rectangular shaped gold pieces collectively weighing 1760 grams worth Rs 90,29,680 were recovered.
The Telangana government has constructed small dams in villages for conserving the groundwater across the state, and he said as a result of this, the groundwater level has increased up to two metres in the villages.
The Chief Minister envisioned that the summit will go a long way in ensuring holistic industrial development of the state to propel it into the orbit of high growth trajectory. He asked Invest Punjab to make optimum use of this healthy platform to project Punjab as the preferred investment destination among the domestic and global investors.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday said it was condemnable that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was asserting that the Governor could not ask him any questions because he was "selected" and not "elected", but was allowing AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to run the affairs of Punjab.
An aide of jailed gangster Jagdeep Singh, alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, was held with 1 kg heroin and Rs 27 lakh drug money in raids across the state at suspected hideouts of persons linked with him, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.
