CHANDIGARH: With Punjab on the brink of a power crisis and the President declining Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s request for a meeting on November 4, the latter announced on Tuesday that he would lead a relay dharna of MLAs at Delhi’s Rajghat on Wednesday to highlight the state’s power and critical essential supplies situation due to the Centre’s adamant refusal to allow movement of goods trains.
Since Section 144 has been imposed in Delhi, MLAs will go from Punjab Bhawan to the ‘samadhi’ of the Father of the Nation in batches of four only, with the CM leading the first one at 10.30 am.
Amarinder also once again urged MLAs of other Punjab parties to join the dharnas in the interest of the state, which was facing a dire situation after the last private power plans (GVK) shut operations on Tuesday due to no coal supply. Two Lok Insaaf Party MLAs will also join the Congress sit-in at Rajghat.
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar will not join the party MLAs’ protest at Rajghat as he is not keeping well. There is still no word on whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the protest. Party in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat is likely to participate. Most Congress MLAs left for Delhi
on Tuesday ahead of the dharna at Rajghat on Wednesday. Before proceeding for the sit-in, the CM will hold a meeting of the Punjab MLAs at 10 am. Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said it was unfortunate that the Centre was not willing to listen to the state’s view on the farm laws. “The freight rail service has been deliberately stopped, as if to teach a lesson to the state. They plan to ruin the economy of the state,” he said.