Government Should Focus on Fulfilling People’s Basic Needs Instead of Pursuing Communal Politics
Decision Taken to Organize a Three-Day Book Fair in August
Sangrur (Samajweekly) A special meeting of the State Working Committee of the Tarksheel Society Punjab was held at Tarksheel Bhawan, Barnala, under the chairmanship of State Organizing Head Master Rajinder Bhadaur. The meeting strongly demanded the immediate discontinuation of the free pilgrimage tours being organized by the Punjab Government under the Chief Minister Pilgrimage Scheme, describing them as blatantly unconstitutional and a waste of crores of rupees of public funds. On this occasion, it was also decided to organize a three-day book fair in August at Tarksheel Bhawan, Barnala, dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of scientific temper and in memory of rationalist intellectual Dr. Narendra Dabholkar.
Providing information in this regard, State Committee leaders Master Rajinder Bhadaur, Hem Raj Steno, Rajesh Akalia, Rajpal Singh, and Sumeet Amritsar stated that according to the Indian Constitution, the Indian State is founded on the principle of secularism. Therefore, neither the Punjab Government nor any other government has any legal or moral right to spend valuable public funds, collected through taxes, on religious activities—particularly at a time when millions of farmers, workers, and people from marginalized sections of society are deprived of basic facilities such as education, healthcare, and employment.
State Committee leaders Ram Swaran Lakhewali, Sukhwinder Bagpur, Joginder Kullewal, and Jaswinder Phagwara strongly opposed the scheme and said that it has no connection with the basic development needs or welfare of ordinary people. Rather, it is purely a form of communal politics aimed at garnering votes through religious sentiments. They questioned how the Aam Aadmi Party government could reintroduce the scheme when the Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier directed the Akali-BJP government to withdraw the Chief Minister Pilgrimage Scheme.
On this occasion, State Committee leaders Surjit Tibba, Gurpreet Shahina, and Kuljit Fazilka alleged that while the Punjab Government cites an empty treasury as a pretext to deny government employees their 18% Dearness Allowance (DA), the Old Pension Scheme, and 34 categories of allowances, it is simultaneously subjecting educated unemployed youth to inhumane treatment for demanding government jobs, forcing farmers and workers into conditions of severe hardship, and selling public institutions at throwaway prices. In stark contrast, they said, crores of rupees are being wasted daily on unnecessary publicity campaigns and the communal politics of pilgrimage schemes.
During the meeting, Zonal leaders Master Param Ved, Jaswant Jirakh, Sukhdev Phagwara, Ajit Pardesi, Madam Kulwant Kaur, Sukhwinder Goga, Balraj Maur, Praveen Jandwala, Amrit Rishi, and Jasvir Soni emphasized the need for a public movement to secure the enactment of an Anti-Superstition Law in Punjab.
Issued by:
Sumeet Singh, State Media Secretary Tarksheel Society Punjab
