Chandigarh : Punjab is the only state in the country wherein the residents of the capital Chandigarh have to suffer serious disadvantages in terms of employment, benefits of state government schemes etc., which are available to other residents of Punjab as a state. The legal reason for this is that Chandigarh has not been a part of Punjab state since November 1, 1966. This was stated by former IAS officer Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju during a press conference held at Chandigarh Press Club in Sector 27 on Saturday.
This legal position has been affirmed by the Punjab Government in response to RTI application of Dr. Raju. Punjab Govt has categorically informed Dr Raju that no notification has been issued by the Punjab Government declaring Chandigarh as capital of Punjab and that no official record is available with it that corroborates that Chandigarh is the capital of Chandigarh.
Dr Raju said that root cause of the problem lies in the discriminatory legislation enacted by the Congress Government in 1966. As an example, he said that in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization enacted by the Congress Government in 2014, it was categorically provided that Hyderabad shall be common capital for States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for 10 years and thereafter there shall be a new capital for the State of Andhra Pradesh. But in the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, the then Congress Government made no provision for capital for the State of Punjab. Instead, the Act says that Chandigarh ceases to be part of Punjab State.
Dr Raju said that on 25th July 2024, he had invited Amrinder Singh (Raja Warring) President, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee for a public debate, preferably on 1st August, 2024, but he has run away from this debate.
On 1.4.2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution recommending “to the state Government to raise the matter with Central Government to immediately transfer Chandigarh to Punjab”. But from information obtained under RTI it has been found that Bhagwant Mann Government has just done a mere eyewash by writing a routine letter to Government of India on 1.4.2022. No follow up action, whatsoever, has been taken after 1.4.2022. Neither, the Chief Minister called for this file again after 1.4.2022 till date nor any reminder issued.
Surprisingly, so many sessions of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha have taken place after 1.4.2022, but neither Speaker of the House, nor Chairman of the House Committees have sought any Action Taken Report from the Government. Even the 92 MLAs of the ruling AAP Party and the main opposition Congress MLAs have gone completely quiet. This shows that they are hand in glove with each other in betraying the cause of Punjab at the cost of the general public at large.
Dr Raju has once again made a strong demand that Punjab’s capital Chandigarh should be given captial status so that the people of the city do not have to suffer more.
