Chandigarh, Nov 30 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday appealed to the Union government and floor leaders in Parliament to pay tribute to “Hind ki Chadar” Guru Tegh Bahadur on his 350th martyrdom anniversary to commemorate the supreme sacrifice made by the Guru to safeguard religious freedom.

Talking to the media on the eve of the Parliament session here, Kaur said it would be a fitting tribute to the great Guru if the winter session is started by commemorating the Guru’s sacrifice and pledging to uphold his ideals. She also highlighted how the federal structure is being weakened by ill-conceived Bills and decisions.

She said the decision to make Chandigarh a union territory, which has since been paused, would isolate the state and spoil its peace. Asking why the Bill had been paused and not halted permanently, the lawmaker said such proposals also served to weaken the federal structure and alienate states from the country.

Kaur said earlier also the Central government had taken a number of anti-Punjab decisions. She said Punjab’s control over the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which regulated the flow of the Beas waters in the region, had been severely diluted by changing rules to allow for the nomination of members from any state.

She said similarly, the Centre had recently taken a decision to change the character of Panjab University in Chandigarh by reducing Punjab’s influence over the institution and ending elections to its Senate.

She said even though the decision was reversed following a sustained agitation, it had alienated Punjabis. Kaur also spoke on narco-terrorism and the need to halt it, with the entire border and adjoining districts being under the BSF control. She said a recent report of the Punjab Police had cited that the smuggling of arms and ammunition, as well as drugs, had increased fivefold.

“The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also recently observed that there are more drug peddlers in Punjab than users,” she said. In such a light, more concerted efforts needed to be taken by the Centre to seal the borders effectively.

–IANS

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