Bathinda, May 4 – Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today condemned the Congress government for putting off election to the President and other office bearers of the Sangat Mandi Nagar Council for the second time in succession and demanded the Nagar Council be formed as soon as possible.
In a statement here, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said it was shocking that election to the post of President of the Sangat Mandi Council had been put off for the second time yesterday without assigning any reason. “Sangat Mandi remains the only Council which has not been formed even two and a half months after the municipal elections. It is clear this is being t done because thr SAD commands a clear majority having won seven out of the nine seats at stake”.
Mrs Badal said she had received complaints that Congress constituency incharge Harvinder Singh Laddi was putting undue pressure on the local administration to delay formation of a SAD led Council. “It is even more condemnable that the district administration has buckled down under this pressure and is riding rough shod over the aspirations of the people as well as snatching the constitutional rights of elected members of the Sangat Council”.
The former union minister said the Congress party had tried its level best to use high handed means to influence the results in Sangat Mandi. “Three days before the polls an attempt was made to implicate SAD Circle President and former Council President Sushil Kumar Goldy in a false case. The administration was forced to back off in the face of protests by people of the town. Attempts were even made to capture the entire poll process but SAD workers stood their ground and won an overwhelming majority in the Council. The seven elected members of the SAD have also stood their ground and this is the reason that the Congress party is forcing the local administration to delay formation of the Council on one pretext on another. We will oppose this anti- people step resolutely and force the Congress government to hold elections to the Council soon”, Mrs Badal added.
