Punjab resents non-inclusion of state's tableau in national R-Day parade
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Jan, 2023 11:45 AM
Chandigarh, Jan 25 (IANS) Slamming the Centre for not including the tableau of the state in the Republic Day parade, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said this "anti-Punjab stance" of the BJP-led Union government is "unwarranted" and "undesirable".
In a statement here, he said that every year Republic Day parade celebrations include a spectacular ceremonious parade, which is a tribute to India, its unity in diversity and its rich cultural heritage through various states' tableaus.
Punjab has also been regularly featuring in the tableau parade showcasing the critical importance of this border state with its rich history, colourful and vibrant culture and pivotal point for defining events which shaped the history of the great nation, he said.
The Chief Minister said though the selection committee even appreciated the ideas but it is disheartening that the people of this great country along with the whole world will be bereft from the rich cultural and historical tribute, which Punjab will have showcased.
He recalled that Punjabis had made enormous sacrifices to free the motherland from its yoke of British imperialism. Mann said despite of being merely two per cent of the country's population, 80 per cent of the martyrs either executed or exiled during the freedom movement were Punjabis.
Reacting to a submission made to the UT Administrator by the Haryana Assembly Speaker, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader in a letter to the Administrator said Chandigarh was an inalienable part of Punjab and the Haryana government could not apply for a land swap without taking the consent of the parent state.
Director General of Police Punjab Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested accused as Ramjan Khan, alias Raj Hooda. He said police teams have also arrested his two accomplices -- Happy Mehla (19) and Sahil Mehla (18), both resident of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan.
In Cachar, three people were arrested with 1.80 lakh tablets used for intoxication on Sunday in the Lakhipur area in the district. Police informed that the international market value of seized tablets is around Rs 50 crore. The accused were identified as Abdul Saeed, Ibazur Rahman and Sameer Alam, all residents of the Cachar district.
Further, police teams have been sent to Tosh in Himachal Pradesh after it was revealed that he, along with his live-in partner, had stayed there for quite a long time. Aftab had strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar on May 18 and then chopped her body into many pieces.
Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the government has approved the OPS for its employees currently covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), fulfilling a long-pending demand of employees of the state.
The affected girl students of Kasturba Gandhi College in West Maredpally, Secunderabad were hospitalised with complaints of breathlessness and dizziness. The college authorities denied that there was any gas leak from college lab. They said foul smell from garbage dump on the college boundary wall led to students falling ill.
