SAD-BJP Coordination committee demands another All Party meeting be held to discuss the illicit liquor, seed and ration scams
Chandigarh, June 23, 2020: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today decided to participate in the All Party meeting called by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh tomorrow and simultaneously asked him to call another meeting next week to discuss the illicit liquor, seed and ration scams besides other burning issues of the State.
This was decided at a meeting of the SAD-BJP coordination committee which was presided over at the SAD head office by SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and State BJP President Ashwani Kumar.
The SAD-BJP coordination committee noted that the State exchequer had lost Rs 5,600 crore due to mushrooming of illegal distilleries and bottling plants besides release of illicit liquor directly from distilleries. It said in case of the seed scam, State farmers had lost Rs 4,000 crore due to sale of spurious seeds of PR-128 and PR-129 paddy varieties. It said the poor of the State had suffered during the lockdown with the government diverting ration sent by the Centre to Congress leaders. The Committee said a discussion should be held on all three scams to assess the loss suffered by the State as well as farmers and the poor at another All Party meeting which should be summoned next week.
While speaking on the occasion, both Mr Sukhbir Badal and Mr Ashwani Sharma also demanded that other pending issues of farmers including prevailing upon private sugar mills to release Rs 383 crore to sugarcane growers should also be taken up in the All Party meeting. They said the reason for deleting blue cards at the instance of Congress leaders and their immediate restoration and need for releasing SC scholarships should also be discussed at the next All Party meeting.
The joint SAD-BJP coordination meeting also observed a two minute silence to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by twenty Indian soldiers, including four from Punjab, while countering Chinese aggression in the Galwan valley in Ladakh.
Those attending the meeting included SGPC President Bhai Gobind Singh Longowal, Mr. Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra, Jathedar Tota Singh, Dr Charanjit Singh Atwal,Mr Maheshinder Singh Grewal,Mr. Sikander Singh Maluka, Mr. Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Bibi Jagir Kaur,Mr. Hari Singh Zira,Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema, Mr.Hira Singh Gabria Surjit Singh Rakhra, Mr Avtar Singh Hit, Mr.Baldev Singh Mann and Mr. Jagmeet Singh Brar & Mr Manjinder Singh Sirsa & Members present from BJP were Sh. Madan Mohan Mittal Mittal, Sh Manoranjan Kalia,Sh.Tikshan Sood, Sh.Jeevan Gupta, Sh.Subhash Sharma & Malvinder Singh Kang.