JALANDHAR, Punjab—Addressing a press conference at Jalandhar on March 28, President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) S. Simranjit Singh Mann took on the Congress led Punjab government for ignoring the issue of serial desecration incidents occurred in Punjab in October-2015. He said that the Congress had promised the Punjab masses to bring the guilty culprits to justice in its poll manifesto but even after two weeks of forming government the Congress has not paid attention towards this issue.
Further raising the issue of delay in SGPC elections, S. Simranjit Singh Mann said that the Election Commission always conducts the polls of every level at proper time but the delay in SGPC elections was mysterious. He further said that the tenure of SGPC members elected in 2011 had already expired in 2016 but the Union Home Ministry was still not paying any attention to hold SGPC elections by time. It is notable here that the district presidents of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners of their respective constituencies seeking conduction of SGPC elections at the earliest.
Accusing the Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab government of espousing biased approach towards Drug menace in Punjab, S. Simranjit Singh Mann said that the Punjab government was targeting the Drug sellers and peddlers in Punjab of small level. He added that it was necessary to arrest the kingpins of Drug mafia irrespective of their political status, affiliation and influence to put control over Drug menace in Punjab.
Lauding the Punjab government’s initiative to arrest the gangsters, S. Simranjit Singh Mann said that the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) favours the Punjab government’s approach towards gangsters. He said that the Punjab government needs to make it sure that the gangsters shouldn’t be killed in fake encounters by the Punjab police and should be put behind bars under the concerned legal provisions.
Other leaders of party like S. Jaskaran Singh Kahan Singh Wala (General Secretary), S. Amrik Singh Ballowal (President of SADA’s Bahrain unit and member of SADA International Coordination Committee), S. Navdeep Singh Amritsar (General Secretary of Youth Akali Dal Amritsar), S. Gursharan Singh Sohal (YADA leader), S. Sulakhan Singh Shahkot, S. Resham Singh California, S. Gurmail Singh, S. Pritpal Singh, S. Ranjit Singh, S. Sukhjit Singh Daroli were also present on this occasion.