Agreement with Delhi Government attack on federal set-up, says SAD

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 9

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the AAP government in Punjab headed by Bhagwant Singh Mann terming it as a direct attack on the federal set-up while calling upon the Governor to scrap the said agreement. In a memorandum submitted to the Governor through district authorities here, the party also demanded early solution to unprecedented power crisis, improvement in law and order situation and slashing of taxes on petrol, diesel and LPG in the wake of steep rise in their prices.

Senior SAD leaders, including former ministers Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Hira Singh Gabria and former legislator Darshan Singh Shivalik, asserted that the MOU signed between governments in Punjab and Delhi was illegal and unconstitutional.

“It has happened for the first time that an elected government of a state has meekly surrendered to another ruling dispensation and given away its own decision-making power to it,” they said.

The SAD leaders expressed serious concern over power crisis, which had adversely affected all sectors, including agriculture. Peak sowing season of paddy being just at hand, the government ought to effectively intervene and prevail upon Punjab State Power Corporation Limited to make fool proof arrangements to tide over the power shortage and ensure power supply to farmers and other sectors, they said.

Grewal and other SAD leaders criticised the Punjab government for its failure to take up the issue of reduction in wheat yield due to adverse weather conditions while emphasising that the state government and Centre should together give relief of at least Rs 500 per quintal to farmers for loss in production.

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