M A I N   N E W S

SAD threatens mass movement
15-point charter of demands submitted
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 20
The SAD today served a 15-point charter of demands on the Congress Government seeking its implementation by November 15 or else face a ‘’peaceful, democratic mass movement’’ in protest against the state government’s ‘’injustice, tyranny and repression’’.

The charter has the restoration of free power to agriculture and Dalits as its anchor. Several social welfare schemes introduced by the SAD-BJP government have been added to the charter to make it appear ‘’people-friendly’’. The memorandum is a reflection of the ‘’populist policies’’ that the SAD-BJP government had followed and now wants the Congress to follow.

The memorandum was released to the press by the SAD President, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, after yesterday’s meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee that spilled over today.

A close look at the 15 demands reveals that their implementation is impractical and involves a heavy financial outgo. More than the Congress, the Akalis should know the actual financial position as it had followed the scorched-earth policy in the past five years by populist policies. Today a financial emergency-like situation persists in Punjab. The memorandum is more like a political gimmick than a trap for the ruling party. The SAD Political Affairs Committee is neither naive nor innocent or ignorant of the financial import of the demands.

These demands include rollback of the decision to withdraw free power to agriculture/Dalits, payment of Rs 30 per quintal as bonus on paddy, 2001,in one go, a special relief of Rs 20 per quintal on paddy, 2002, by the Centre, payment of compensation of Rs 5,000 per acre to drought-affected farmers, rollback of sales tax on fertilisers/pesticides, defer payments of loans and waive interest, announce an enhanced price for sugarcane, restore social welfare schemes — shagun, pension to the aged, handicapped and widows, increase free power units to Dalits and job for one member of each Dalit family below the poverty line, abolish octroi, withdraw any cuts in salaries/allowances of employees, implement the 4-9-14 years employees’ promotion scheme and give a clear commitment not to close any of 29 loss-making public sector undertakings.

In the first phase of the proposed agitation, the SAD, which will also consult other political parties and pro-people/pro-farmers’ organisations, there would be state-wide subdivisional-level protests on October 28. A second meeting of the Political Affairs Committee before November 15 will fine-tune the mode of mass agitation. It is likely to be ‘’jail bharo’’.

To gear up the party apparatus for October 28 and November 15, Mr Badal has convened a meeting of all party leaders MPs, MLAs, both past and present, district jathedars and others at Gurdwara Alamgir, Ludhiana, tomorrow.

Mr Badal said the withdrawal of the free power facility was the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back. He charged the government with interference in SGPC affairs and harassment by police of SGPC members owing allegiance to the SAD (Badal). ‘’It is a police state, ruled by the Congress, police and men like Mr G.S. Tohra and Mr Ravi Inder Singh,’’ he added. Asked if the SGPC had been politicised, he remarked, “For us politics and religion go together. The SGPC elections are contested under the SAD name, flag and symbol’’.