Patwaris stagger agitation plan against AAP after talks with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

Mahesh Sharma

Malerkotla, June 28

The Punjab Revenue Patwar Union has announced to stagger its scheduled agitation against Aam Aadmi Party during the ensuing Assembly by-election. The announcement was followed by an ice breaking meeting between the Punjab Government and a delegation of the outfit, held at Phagwara on Thursday.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Revenue Minister Braham Shankar Jimpa, Minister for NRI Affairs Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Special Chief Secretary V K Singh, Principal Secretary Anurag Verma, Principal Secretary Finance Ajoy Kumar Sinha and Finance Commissioner Revenue KAP Sinha represented the Punjab Government whereas Harvir Singh Dhindsa, president of the patwar union, led the union delegation.

Showing satisfaction over the outcome of the first meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann since constitution of AAP government in Punjab, Dhindsa said the union had decided to stagger the announced program to oppose AAP candidate in Assembly by-election.

“As the Chief Minister has shown intention to resolve all pending issues of the revenue officials through conversation and advised the senior functionaries in the department to remain in touch with the union for implementing major demands, we have decided to stagger the agitation in larger interests of all stakeholders,” said Dhindsa.

Since the constitution of the AAP government, it is for the first time that the CM called the Revenue Patwar Union members for discussion to resolve their pending issues.

The union had locked horns with the state government, staging protests one after the other. Increasing the number of posts from existing 4,716, decreasing eligibility experience for promotion to post of kanungo to five years from existing seven years, disallowing registration of corruption cases without departmental inquiry according to Section 17 A of the Anti-Corruption Act, and 100 per cent quota for promotion of naib tehsildar instead of fifty per cent, were cited as major demands of the outfit.

#Aam Aadmi Party AAP #Malerkotla