GRAM PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS TO BE HELD BEFORE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER 2018: BAJWA

Jagraon (Ludhiana), November 2, 2018: Mr Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rural Development and Panchayats, Housing and Urban Development Minister Punjab today said that the gram panchayat elections in the state would be held either in the last week of November or the first week of December 2018. He said that some changes related to the 50% reservation of women candidates had to be made in the law, but after making the necessary changes, the state government has already issued an ordinance regarding the same two days ago. He assured that the Gram Panchayat elections would be held as planned. Mr Bajwa said this while speaking to media persons while attending a function at GHG Academy near Jagraon, here. He said that the gram panchayat elections would be held in a free and fair manner. He further said that the process of appointing Chairman’s of Block Samiti’s and Zila Parishad’s would be carried out right after the completion of Gram Panchayat elections. While taking an aim at the SAD, Mr Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said that the Akalis as well as the Aam Aadmi Party are no more a competitive force for the Congress. He said that intelligent people of our state have already seen the real face of the Akalis during the Bargari issue. He said that majority of the senior Akali leaders are jumping off the ship because they no more want themselves to be associated with a party that is headed by the Badal’s. He said that Congress party would sweep the Gram Panchayat elections. While replying to a question related to the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Bajwa said that the Akalis have lost credibility amongst the electorate of the state because now people have seen their real face. He said that is why the SAD is trying to make issues out of non issues as a face saving tactic amongst the people and the SAD dharna at Amritsar is a perfect example of that. Mr Bajwa made it clear that he is against distortions of history at every level and by everybody, and urged Akali Dal chief Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Mr Gobind Singh Longowal to take action against distortions in history books published by the SGPC itself. He said that it seems both Sukhbir Badal and Longowal are totally ignorant of even contemporary history otherwise they would not have tried to make distortions in now otherwise withdrawn text book for Class XII a political issue. Mr Bajwa asked the Akalis as well as the SGPC as to what action had been taken against the authors of the book on history in Hindi published by the SGPC and had to be withdrawn following protests in 2007. He said as Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Mr Longowal seem to suffer from amnesia, it was just to remind them that this book ‘Sikh Itihaas’ in Hindi was published by the SGPC against which objections had been raised first in September 2007. Mr Parkash Singh Badal was the chief minister at that time.