Pargat Singh accuses: The Punjab Govt is pushing the state towards President’s Rule as law and order spirals out of control
Govt unconcerned about citizens safety as shootings become a daily occucurrence
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Former Education Minister and MLA Pargat Singh today launched a scathing attack on both the Modi-led Central Government and the Aam Aadmi Party Government in Punjab, condemning what he described as their "anti-poor and anti-people" policies.
He said the Modi Government’s decision to dismantle the rights-based Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a direct assault on the fundamental rights of the poor, Dalits, women, tribals, and backward classes. By increasing the state’s financial share from 10 percent to 40 percent, Pargat said, “the Centre has crushed the very foundation of a demand-driven employment entitlement that ensured dignity for millions.”“MGNREGA was not charity—it was a legal right,” he said. “The Modi Government’s move to dismantle it is part of a larger design to weaken the rural poor and centralize power in Delhi. The Congress Party and all opposition forces must rise in strong protest against this betrayal.”
While welcoming the Punjab Government’s decision to convene a special one-day Assembly session on December 30 to discuss the issue, Pargat Singh insisted that a full-fledged Winter Session must be convened instead. “Punjab is facing multiple crises—economic, administrative, and law and order. A single-day session cannot do justice to the gravity of these challenges,” he said.
He revealed that the Central Government, initially preparing five resolutions against Punjab, has now increased them to seven—each of them directly harming the state’s autonomy and interests. “The Chief Minister must not allow legislative rights to be reduced to token formalities. He must immediately announce a full Winter Session to comprehensively debate these threats before the entire Assembly,” Pargat asserted.
Turning sharply towards the deteriorating law and order situation, Pargat Singh said the state is “sliding rapidly towards anarchy.” He warned that Punjab is being pushed dangerously close to President’s Rule due to the Aam Aadmi Party government’s complete failure to ensure public safety and peace.“
In Jalandhar, bullets were fired openly near a petrol pump over a college leadership dispute; in Shahkot, a young man was shot in the neck; and today, in Ludhiana, a mother and daughter were shot inside their home, with the mother succumbing to injuries,” he said. “Such brutal crimes have become routine in Punjab. The state has turned into a police state, fuelling fear among common citizens.”
Pargat Singh further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, from the very beginning, sought to end MGNREGA. “If the Punjab Government has already failed to bear its 10 percent share under the scheme, how does it plan to carry a 40 percent burden now?” he questioned. “This reckless move will cripple the program and devastate rural livelihoods.
He emphasized that under MGNREGA, every rural citizen had a legal right to demand 100 days of employment, and in the absence of such work, receive compensation. “By sabotaging this framework, the Centre is snatching away the last lifeline of survival for millions—especially women, who account for nearly half of MGNREGA’s workforce,” he said.
Concluding his statement, Pargat Singh demanded that the Punjab Government rise above political expediency and act with courage. “Instead of symbolic sessions and populist politics, the government must stand for Punjab’s rights, defend its people, and fight for the dignity of labour. That is the true test of leadership today.”