Not the right time to score brownie points, Capt to Oppn parties
CHANDIGARH : Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday appealed to opposition parties not to trigger panic among people by spreading misinformation. “There was no mismanagement of the crisis or widespread infection in the state, as is being project by the SAD and the AAP. Most cases were those coming from the other states,” the CM said, in an address to the state’s residents.
He added that people should not worry about the sudden spike in numbers that could be expected over the next few days as more people return to their homes from other states. “Of 100 new cases reported, only seven are related to local infection, while 93 were Punjabis who had come from outside the state,” he said, adding that all political parties must realise that this was not the time to score brownie points, as the situation was akin to a war.
“It is a war for Punjab and its people. Wars can only be fought and won unitedly. As Punjab is going through a difficult time, there is a need for all to work together to save the state and its people.” While clarifying that every person returning to the state would be kept in institutional quarantine as a preventive measure, he appealed to the people not to be afraid of it.
On the return of people of other states stranded in Punjab, he said the states concerned would have to make arrangements or the Centre would have to arrange special trains.
URGES PASWAN TO ROLL BACK ‘UNJUSTIFIED’ VALUE CUT
Amarinder wrote to Union minister of consumer affairs and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, seeking immediate withdrawal of “unjustified” value cut imposed on wheat growers in lieu of relaxation in procurement norms due to luster loss and shrivelled grain. He apprised the minister of the demands raised by his government in a previous discussion with him. HTC