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Manpriya Singh
Powerful, poor, ordinary or significant; who doesn’t have a long list for the open-ended sentence starting with ‘I wish…’ so much so that it’s hard to differentiate between wishes and wishful thinking! And, what better time to wish than the start of a new year? For this ‘if’, we get talking to all the right people, who tick off all the fields for us.
One for the state
Amarinder Singh, CM, Punjab
Top of the wish-list: Religious tolerance and communal harmony tops my wish-list for India
It is absolutely surprising and very reassuring that out of his very long wish-list for the state, Chief Minister, Punjab, Amarinder Singh starts with the wish of communal harmony and religious tolerance for the coming year. “I am hopeful that we, as a nation, will become more tolerant towards one another,” he says.
He adds, “I also hope that at the dawn of the New Year, we achieve the much-needed freedom from pollution to make our country more live-able for the future generations. Peace with the neighbours is another desire I hold dear to my heart.” While particularly for the state of Punjab, “It is the safety of all citizens.”
Well, he is not missing anything! “Industrial development, freedom from debt for the farmers and clean drinking water for everyone in the state is also my wish. I want our youth to be free from drugs and unemployment, and prosper in an environment of social equality.” How we wish him luck with all of that!
One for the nation
Sukhbir Badal, former Deputy CM, Punjab
Top of the wish-list: Religious tolerance and respect towards every religion.
Seldom are the two political parties on the same page on any issue, let alone the same chapter. So, when Sukhbir Badal, former Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab, also wishes for religious tolerance and communal harmony, we have hope.
Well, it takes quite a while to get him out of the political zone and get him into the wishful thinking zone, he says, “Well, I am a political person, so I only know how to make political statements.”
No wishful thinking please. Just in case a genie turned up at his door, what’s the first thing he’d wish for, especially for the nation? “Respect towards all religions.”
Question him on New Year’s resolutions and he laughs over how his daughter sitting next to him would love to take that question.
On a serious note, “It is to spend time with my family, which I haven’t been able to do much this year. I also want to be able to strike an even better balance between my political family — that is my Punjab and my personal life.” We wish him luck!
manpriya@tribunemail.com
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