Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi highlighting 13 issues for the government to address in the state. In the letter, Navjot Singh Sidhu mentions that he fulfilled the responsibility of keeping Captain Amarinder Singh’s government under check, a responsibility entrusted to him by the party.
The 13 issues highlighted by Sidhu in his letter are Justice for sacrilege, drugs, agriculture, electricity, PPAs, Scheduled caste and Backward caste welfare, employment, Single window system and comparative advantage, Women and youth empowerment, liquor, sand mining, transport and cable mafia. The letter is dated for 15th October but was shared on social media today.
Sidhu says in the letter, “After multiple deliberations and consultations with party workers from across Punjab and with deep understanding of the public sentiment over 17 years of public life, I express with a lot of pain in my heart that this is Punjab’s last chance for resurrection and redemption.”
The first issue mentioned by Navjot Singh Sidhu in his letter was ‘Justice for Sacrilege’. Sacrilege has been a burning issue in Punjab in recent times and at Kundli only recently, a Dalit man was lynched by a group of Nihang Sikhs after accusing him of the same.
Navjot Singh Sidhu also says in the letter, “Giving Cheap and 24 hour supply of power to all domestic consumers, especially urban domestic consumers who suffer the most due to cross-subsidy burden upon them, as we decrease power tariff for industrial and commercial use, and give free power for agriculture. We must give fixed power subsidy to all Domestic consumers, be it decreasing price of power to 3 Rs per unit or 300 Units of free power to all.”
Sidhu also demanded that the Punjab Government monopolise liquor trade in the state and bring it under a state-run corporation. Sidhu concluded his letter with the words, “I further request you to kindly give me a personal audience to present to you the Punjab Model with a 13-Point Agenda to be part of the Congress Manifesto for the 2022 Assembly Elections, which is separate from this by means of its long-term vision to be implemented over a longer period of time, have crafted it through years of consultations with academics, civil society, party workers and feedback from the People of Punjab.”
Earlier, after meeting Rahul Gandhi on Friday, Sidhu had withdrawn his resignation from the post of Punjab Congress chief. A day before meeting Rahul Gandhi at his residence, Sidhu had said he has full faith in the party leadership and will accept any decision taken by them on his resignation.
On September 28, Sidhu had resigned from the post of PPCC chief. In a letter addressed to party chief Sonia Gandhi, he had stated that he is stepping down as the state president. The party’s top brass had, however, refused to accept his resignation and had asked state leaders to resolve the matter at their own level first.
