Manpreet begins Jago Punjab Yatra

The ousted Akali leader plans to tour all 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab,covering 1,170 villages and 167 towns and cities to sensitise people about the issues plaguing the state and get their feedback.

After paying obeisance at Tilla Baba Sheikh Farid,Manpreet addressed his first public rally of the day in Sadiq town. He was accompanied by former deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh,Beas MLA Manjinder Singh Kang,Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Jagbir Singh Brar and former Faridkot MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon,noted Punjabi story teller and novelist Jaswant Kanwal and martyr Bhagat Singh’s nephew Abhey Singh Sandhu,among others.

“The Punjabi youth today knows with whom (actor) Katrina Kaif is having an affair. They also know which actors are featuring in Big Boss (TV show). But they do not know who Ram Prasad Bismil and Batukeshwar Dutt were,” Manpreet said,underlining that there was a need to channelise the youth in a direction that could prove beneficial for the state. He urged the gathering to extend their cooperation to him “in restoring the lost glory of Punjab”. He said he had chosen to work for the cause of mazdoor (labourers),mazloom (those who face atrocities) and majboor (the helpless).

Earlier,in his address studded with poetic references,Bir Devinder showered praises on Manpreet and equated him with Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who had been exiled from Russia. Bir Devinder said Solzhenitsyn was likely to be eliminated for his alleged anti-government writings had it not been for massive protests in his favour by a world renowned violinist and a scientist,among others. “Manpreet is also Solzhenitsyn,” he added.

With the nearly Rs 8,000-crore interest that Punjab was paying annually against its debt,Bir Devinder said the state could have had a 1,000 MW thermal plant every year. “A 1,000 MW thermal plant costs Rs 6,000 crore at the most,” he added.

Manpreet addressed four rallies during the day — the other three at Golewala,Kila Nau and Faridkot city. Talking to the media at Golewala,Manpreet reiterated that it was for the people to decide if they wanted any new party to be led by him.

‘Admn locked press conference venue’

Manpreet alleged that the Faridkot administration denied permission to hold a press conference at a local venue at the eleventh hour by locking the venue. He also alleged that the police issued challans to a number of vehicles carrying his supporters. Faridkot Deputy Commissioner S Karuna Raju was not available for comment. He also alleged that CID officers shot a video of the rallies to identify people who attended them,adding that the registration numbers of vehicles used by his cavalcade had been noted down.