Punjab withholds plan of pension to Punjabi Suba agitators, to honour familes

CHANDIGARH : While Punjab and Haryana High Court has raised questions on giving pension to parcipants of Punjabi Suba movement, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced to felicitate the families of those Punjabis who attained martyrdom or were jailed during this watershed movement in the history of Punjab.
The High Court has asked the state government to file its reply in a petition pending before it. The state government however seems to have dropped the idea of giving pension to agitators labled as ‘Sanghrashi Yodhas’.
The Punjabi Suba movement was launched by the Akali Dal in the 1950s for the creation of a Punjabi-majority
province. It led to Punjab being reorganised on linguistic lines and Haryana and Himachal Pradesh being carved out of it in1966. Punjab Government has clubbed the agitators of movement with the protestors against emergency for giving benefits and party functionaries holding Panchayat and civic body posts were authorised to identify the beneficieries.
The decision to honour families of Punjabi Suba movement participants was was taken by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal while presiding over a high level meeting to chalk out plan to organize series of program to commemorate 50th anniversary of carving out of modern Punjab State after relentless struggle by Punjabis.
Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Minister said that modern day Punjab was a result of selfless and valiant struggle launched by Punjabis to have their distinct state. He said Punjabi Suba agitation was a glorious chapter in history of state as 43 people attained martyrdom and more than 55000 courted arrest for carving out modern day Punjab. He said that this month long celebrations from October 1 to November 1 (Punjab Day) would be a humble and befitting tribute to those unsung heroes who had took part in this relentless struggle.
The Chief Minister said that since every Punjabi was indebted to these ‘sons of soil’ so functions would be held across the state to honour survivors of this unprecedented saga of struggle along with kin of those who have passed away. Likewise, he said that a suitable memorial for these heroes would be constructed at Amritsar so that people could pay tribute to them. Mr Badal also said that a state level function would be held at Amritsar on November 1 in which prominent Punjabi personalities from different walks of life across the globe would be invited.