Political parties flayed for ignoring Punjab’s burning issues

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRA
India Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Navees Manch, an apex body of Punjabi columnists, writers and commentators, has flayed various political parties for turning a blind eye to the burning issues of Punjab during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, dubbing their apathy and indifference to these as criminal.
In its meeting here May 11 with its President Gurmit Palahi in chair, the Manch alleged that serious issues of marginalizing mother-tongue Punjabi in Punjab and environmental degradation, particularly water and air pollution, were not included in the manifesto of any political party.

Maintaining that the flight of Punjabi youths to foreign lands have assumed the frightening dimension of an exodus, the meeting regretted that no party had taken notice of this danger to state’s demographic imbalance and depletion of talent and quality in the state.
Calling upon various political parties to come forward with a blueprint or a roadmap for halting this dangerous exodus of human wealth, the meeting rued the fact that no party had incorporated this serious issue in its manifesto nor had any party come forward with any solid employment plan for checking the flight of youths abroad.

“A tangible solid policy for job opportunities/employment avenues is the dire need of the hour for crying a halt to this mass migration. Half-hearted measures, cosmetic exercise or electoral gimmicks won’t simply do now”, the Manch said in a statement.
The meeting also flayed glossing over of the miserable plight of peasantry and workers in Punjab.

It also condemned parties for turning their backs to significant public welfare issues like health and education.
“The sinister trend of privatization of these two sectors should be stopped and the state and its politicians should rather wed these twin issues for public welfare, good physical and mental health of its people”, the Manch said.

It also hailed as happy augury for democracy the new trend in current Lok Sabha polls of public asking pointed questions from political leaders and candidates.
Besides Gurmit Palahi, other Manch office- bearers and columnists who attended the meeting included Gurcharan Singh Noorpur, Dr Gyan Singh, Dr Shyam Sunder Dipti, Gurvinder Manak, Dr S.L. Virdi, Ravinder Chot, Didar Shetra, and Parvinderjit Singh.