Punjab will launch legal and mass struggle against BJP's conspiracy to snatch Chandigarh: Harpal Singh Cheema

Anandpur Sahib(The Uttam Hindu): PunjabFinance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, on Sunday delivered a powerful condemnation of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) attempt to strip Punjab of its rights over Chandigarh.  

Addressinga press conference in Anandpur Sahib, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema firmly asserted that only Punjab possesses the rightful claim to Chandigarh, a city built by displacing 24 villages of the state. He warned that any move by the BJP to snatch Chandigarh would be met with a two-pronged resistance: a legal struggle by the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, and a resolute struggle by the Aam Aadmi Party alongside the three crore people of Punjab, extending from the road to the Parliament.

The Finance Minister lambasted at BJP of embodying a "spirit of Hitler" and being determined to dismantle the country's democratic and federal structure. He said that this conspiracy is being hatched even as the Punjab government and the people of the country celebrating the 350th anniversary of the martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji for religious freedom and national unity.  

FinanceMinister Cheema said that the BJP is persistently provoking the sentiments of the people of Punjab and plotting to usher in a dark era in the state. He cited a pattern of anti-Punjab actions by the BJP, starting with the three black farm laws intended to destroy the agricultural economy, followed by attempts to compromise Punjab's interests through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the unpleasant bid to seize senate of Panjab University which could directly effected the working of about 200 colleges, and now the deceitful maneuver to snatch Chandigarh. This repeated antagonism, he declared, exposes the sinister intentions of the BJP.

Condemning the BJP-led central government for treading the path of Mughals to suppress Punjab’s interests, Finance Minister Cheema specifically highlighted the plan to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. This proposed bill aims to bring Chandigarh under the purview of Article 240 of the Constitution, which would empower the President to make regulations for the Union Territory and legislate directly, an act the Finance Minister termed a direct assault on Punjab's rights. He expressed confidence that just as the brave people of Punjab defeated the BJP’s past attempts, this current effort would also be given a fitting reply, ensuring that the BJP's future generations harbor no ill will towards the state. 

Launchinga scathing critique of the BJP's constant anti-Punjab stances, Finance Minister Cheema issued a final warning that the AAP-led Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann would stand on the front lines, joining hands with all sections of society to valiantly fight for the rights of Punjab.