Shiromani Akali Dal leader Dimpy Dhillon quits party
Chandigarh (PTI): In a setback to the Shiromani Akali Dal, party leader Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon on Sunday quit the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led outfit, apparently upset over not being announced as the party nominee for the Gidderbaha Assembly by-poll.
However, SAD urged Dhillon not to be misled by the propaganda being unleashed by "forces inimical" to the party and said it fully supported him for the forthcoming by-poll.
Dhillon's resignation comes amid rebellion by a section of party leaders.
Considered close to Badal, Dhillon was the party's constituency in-charge for the Gidderbaha Assembly seat and an aspirant for the party's ticket from the constituency.
Dhillon had unsuccessfully fought from the Gidderbaha Assembly seat in 2017 and 2022. He lost to Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring by around 1,300 votes in the 2022 Assembly elections.
The by-poll is necessitated following Warring's elections to the Lok Sabha from the Ludhiana seat.
Dhillon's parting with SAD came at a time when the Sukhbir Badal-led outfit is facing the worst rebellion in its history with a section of party leaders revolting against Badal, demanding that he step down as party chief following SAD's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.
On August 14, Banga MLA Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi left SAD to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Dhillon's resignation came days after Badal had toured the Gidderbaha Assembly constituency along with him.
Though Dhillon said he will announce his next course of action after consulting his supporters, there were speculations that he may join AAP.
Dhillon said he had asked Badal who will fight the by-poll as people of the constituency were asking about the party's candidate.
"Biba ji (Harsimrat Kaur Badal) indicated that Sukhbir will fight the by-poll," said Dhillon, adding that he had no objection to Sukhbir's candidature.
But Sukhbir declared that he will not fight the by-poll, said Dhillon.
Dhillon further said Sukhbir's cousin and BJP leader Manpreet Singh Badal also got active in the constituency, indicating that SAD might field him.
He said his supporters warned him that he could be ditched and asked him to get his name declared as the candidate.
He said he even asked the party president to speak against Manpreet but he did not.
"I felt that I am becoming a stumbling block between the love of two brothers (Sukhbir and Manpreet)," said Dhillon, adding that he decided to quit the party after consulting his supporters.
Meanwhile, SAD clarified that it did not have any intention to bring a leader from any other party to field him as a candidate for the by-poll.
Party spokesperson Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said all such speculations were false and baseless.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
