Centre should not 'play with sentiments' of Punjab: CM Mann
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday claimed that the Centre has decided to defer key issues pertaining to Punjab, including the sharing of river waters and other rights with neighbouring states and the Panjab University restructuring.
CM Mann made the claim a day after he spoke at the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Faridabad, where he raised the concerns of Punjab.
The Punjab chief minister said he told the meeting that the Centre should not "play with the sentiments" of Punjab while ignoring the state's interests.
"The Centre has deferred all 11 issues relating to Punjab after I raised the concerns of Punjab and called for maintaining the status quo on the issues concerning Punjab. Will not allow the rights of Punjab to be taken over by anyone," Mann told reporters at a press conference.
CM Mann said he strongly opposed all the claims made by neighbouring states at the meeting and told the home minister not to allow them to snatch the rights of Punjab.
"All the issues raised by other states were to snatch the rights of Punjab, and I strongly opposed them," he said.
To help resolve the issue of water scarcity for irrigation purposes in northern India, the chief minister proposed that after annulling the Indus River Waters Treaty, 24 MAF water from the Chenab river should be diverted to Punjab and that could be channelised for irrigation purposes in all northern states.
Asked about pollution in the national capital and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupa's concerns that it is a result of farm fires in Punjab and other northern states, Mann claimed that the image of Punjab was being tarnished unnecessarily and the pollution in Delhi is not a result of farm fires in Punjab, as paddy cultivation is delayed there.
CM Mann said Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh have no right in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and their claims in the board do not stand any ground as the BBMB was formed after reorganisation of the state. The chief minister also claimed that Haryana itself had given away its claim on Panjab University a few years ago during the tenure of then chief minister Bansi Lal.
He said the present restructuring of the Panjab University Senate and Syndicate proposed by the Centre has been kept in abeyance, saying the Centre has no intentions of going ahead with the restructuring and demanded that early elections to the Panjab University Senate be declared as the agitating students are suffering.
CM Mann also proposed changing the name of the SYL canal to YSL (Yamuna-Satluj Link) canal by diverting Yamuna waters to Punjab instead.
He said river water agreements need to be reviewed every 25 years as neighbouring states have "made a joke of the waters issue", claiming that Punjab is suffering due to the demands made by neighbouring states.
Mann also called for de-silting of Pong dam and urged the neighbouring states and the Centre to share the burden of de-silting.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
