Akali Dal targets enrolling 25 lakh members

Chandigarh, Jan 17 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will focus on conducting the targeted 25 lakh strong members drive as part of its organisational elections, party leader Daljit Singh Cheema said on Friday.

He said all plans are being finalised to start the membership drive on January 20.

These include printing copies for distribution to the party cadre as well as framing the rules and regulations for the drive as per constitutional norms.

Cheema said that "the party is committed to ensuring a genuine membership drive is conducted and that the same is ratified by party observers under the supervision of chief election officer Gulzar Singh Ranike”.

He said it had been decided to hold training sessions for the designated observers so that the entire process could be conducted smoothly and in a free and fair manner.

Meanwhile, the party has decided to go to the people and expose the manner in which Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the state Cabinet had abrogated their responsibility and shifted to Delhi.

The SAD leader said it was shocking that the entire Cabinet was camping in Delhi.

"Not only the Cabinet, but even senior officers, have been called to Delhi to assist in the party’s election campaign. The state’s financial resources are also being spent on this campaign. Agitating farmers have also been left to their own fate with the Chief Minister failing to take up their issues with the Prime Minister which had endangered the life of fasting farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. Even as all this is happening the AAP government is helpless in protecting the rights of the state, particularly the manner in which the state’s right over its capital Chandigarh is being diluted,” he said.

The SAD leader demanded a special session of the Assembly to discuss crucial issues as well as the draft framework on agricultural marketing "by way of which the Centre wanted to reintroduce the three hated farm laws through the back gate".

--IANS

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Source: IANS