Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
* Insists on restoration of 60:40 norm of employees and making Punjabi official language
Chandigarh, May 13: Shiromani Akali Dal General Secretary and MP from Anandpur Sahib Prof. Prem SinghChandumajra demanded immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab which was built as its capital and end injustice to the state.
Raising the issue of discriminations against Punjab on various matters during zero hour in Lok Sabha today, Prof. Chandumajra pointed out that at the time of re-organisation of the states on linguistic basis, the capital was retained with the parent states. This norm was violated in case of Punjab that amounted to blatant discrimination. He alleged that Chandigarh had been retained as joint capital of Punjab and Haryana as part of the conspiracy for the last 50 years. He called for ending this discrimination with Punjab by transferring this city to the state and granting financial assistance to Haryana to build new capital.
He said it was again part of the conspiracy to change the linguistic complexion of the city by adopting English as the official language in place of Punjabi, which is the mother tongue of more than 11 lakh residents of the city. English is not the mother tongue of a single resident of Chandigarh, he added.
Prof. Chandumjara reminded Home Minister present in the house of the arrangement till its transfer was to have employees from Punjab and Haryana in Chandigarh administration in 60:40 ratio, respectively. But a separate UT cadre of employees had been created to disturb this arrangement, he addrd. He said that presently, only 5 per cent of the class two, three and four employees in UT were from Punjab cadre.
The Akali leader demanded that the norm of 60:40 employees should be restored and Punjabi made the official language pending its transfer to Punjab.
