Political News

Punjab BJP backs Longowal accord; Wants Chandigarh to be transferred to Punjab

October 23, 2014 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Chandigarh, Punjab: Enthused by its electoral victories in Haryana and Maharashtra, state BJP chief Kamal Sharma said the BJP wanted Chandigarh to be transferred to Punjab. It also wanted an amicable solution to the river waters dispute with the neighbouring state. He was talking to a group of mediapersons at Chandigarh on October 23.

“We are for transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab. But we want an amicable solution to the river waters dispute. There is no issue that can’t be resolved through talks,” The Tribune (TT) quotes Kamal Sharma.

“Clearly indicating that the party will not play second fiddle to the Badals ahead of the municipal elections, he said the BJP wielded greater influence than the SAD in category A and B cities while the Badals had their vote bank in small towns” TT report reads further.

Sharma said the BJP supported the Rajiv-Longowal accord signed in 1985. He said that SAD leaders Parkash Singh Badal and the late Gurcharan Singh Tohra had at first rejected the accord that called for sharing of river waters and the transfer of Hindi-speaking areas to Haryana, but later supported it.

Kamal Sharma, who was flanked by Industries Minister Madan Mohan Mittal, Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi and adviser to the CM Tikshan Sud, seemed upbeat.

To a query on seat-sharing for the municipal elections, he said: “ District-level leaders of the two parties are already discussing the issue. The party heads will meet later and take the final decision. Post-delimitation, the number of wards in each municipal body has increased. We have a greater presence in category A and B cities like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Abohar and Fazilka. The Badals have a presence in Bathinda and small towns.”

On former MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s outburst, he said it was Sidhu’s personal opinion. Sidhu had accused the SAD-led state government of looting the people of the state.

The BJP was acting as junior partner to the Badal Dal in Punjab but after securing massive victories in Lok Sabha elections, and more recently in state assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, the BJP seems to be planning to go on it’s own in Punjab as well.

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Related Topics: BJP, Indian Politics, Kamal Sharma, Punjab Politics, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)

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