Decide modalities of November 1 debate: Congress, SAD to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

PTI

Chandigarh, October 30

The opposition Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to decide the modalities of the November 1 debate by holding a meeting of representatives of all the political parties.

The parties also asked Mann to hold a discussion on the contentious issue of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.

Earlier, Mann had dared opposition leaders—Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for an open debate on issues concerning the state on November 1.

The CM had thrown the challenge in response to opposition parties’ criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party government over the SYL canal issue.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said his party was ready for the debate.

“I demand that the CM should call a meeting of leaders of all parties who have been invited (for the debate) at Chandigarh and tell us what will be the format (of the debate), its modalities, who will speak first,” said Bajwa.

The Qadian MLA suggested neutral moderators for the debate as he raised questions over the CM’s choice of Nirmal Jaura being made the moderator. Jaura was appointed as the director of students’ welfare at the Punjab Agricultural University by the AAP government.

Bajwa claimed that heavy police security has been deployed at the debate venue and it has been turned into a police cantonment. It should be withdrawn, he said.

“We are ready for the debate. I am already prepared for it. Our president is also ready for the same,” said Bajwa.

He said till now, no invitation has been received for the debate.

However, Bajwa slammed the Aam Aadmi Party, claiming that the agenda of the debate has been framed by party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and MP Sandeep Pathak.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal also asked the CM to decide the modalities for the proposed debate as well as its agenda.

Senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said that it is important to finalise the modalities of the debate as to which all parties will participate in it, where it will be hosted, who will steer it impartially and who will come out with a joint declaration on behalf of all participants.

The leaders said all major political parties, including the AAP, the Congress, the SAD, the BSP, the BJP, the CPI and the CPM, should form part of the debate.

The leaders said the SAD had suggested that the debate be limited to discussing the SYL canal issue only so that a joint solution could be found to save the river waters of Punjab.

“The SAD is not interested in a political slugfest which will achieve nothing. What is needed is devising a strategy,” the party said.

The leaders made it clear that the SAD was ready for a debate on all issues concerning Punjab at a later date and told the chief minister it was not too late even now to finalise the modalities on the SYL canal issue.

Meanwhile, the SAD also described as “extremely unfortunate” the manner in which the chief minister was trying to “divert attention” from the debate by alluding that the SAD was afraid of participating in it.

“This is farthest from the truth. The SAD was not intimidated by the British or the hated Emergency. We have steadfastly protected the river waters of Punjab and if water is not flowing into the SYL canal it is because of the SAD which first launched the ‘Kapoori Morcha’ and later denotified and returned the land on which the SYL stands back to farmers”, the senior leaders asserted.

The ‘Main Punjab Bolda Haan’ debate will be held in an auditorium with 1,200 sitting capacity at the Punjab Agricultural University.

In the debate, each party will get 30 minutes to present their views, Mann said.

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