Punjab

Chandigarh, Mar 4 (PTI) Describing the new farm laws as "unconstitutional and illegal", former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday said they were an attack by the Centre upon the federal structure and the right of states to frame legislations.

He said the new laws will lead to auctioning of land in Punjab and leave its residents as "slaves" and asked the Congress government in the state to take "bold and solid steps" to meet the "aspirations" of people protesting against the legislations.

Chandigarh, Mar 1 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said poll strategist Prashant Kishor had been appointed as his principal advisor.

The development assumes significance as the Assembly polls are due early next year. Kishor's company, Indian Political Action Committee is assisting Mamata Banerjee's TMC in the upcoming crucial West Bengal election.

Chandigarh, Feb 26 (PTI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted bail to labour rights activist Naudeep Kaur on Friday, more than six weeks after she was arrested in Haryana's Sonipat for allegedly gheraoing an industrial unit and demanding money from the company.

"The court accepted the bail application of Naudeep Kaur. She has been granted bail by the high court," her counsel Arshdeep Singh Cheema said.

Chandigarh, Feb 24 (PTI) Over 25,000 houses for the poor will be constructed in Punjab with the state cabinet on Wednesday approving a new EWS policy in this regard, an official statement said.

The developers and authorities will be required to develop five per cent of the project area for the economically weaker section (EWS) housing, it said.

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Feb 20 (PTI) A debt-ridden farmer and his son allegedly died by suicide in Punjab's Hoshiarpur village, saying in a note that they were upset over the Centre's new farm laws and the state government's failure to waive their loans.

The farmer, Jagtar Singh (70), and his son Kirpal Singh (42) were found dead at their residence in Muhadipur village on Saturday morning, Deputy Superintendent of Police Munish Kumar said.

Chandigarh, Feb 17 (PTI) The ruling Congress on Wednesday swept the urban body polls in Punjab, winning six municipal corporations, emerging as the largest party in the seventh and bagging most of the 109 municipal council and nagar panchayats.

The Congress won Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, Batala and Pathankot corporations in the civic polls on February 7, held against the backdrop of the farmers' agitation over the new agri-marketing laws.

In Moga, the party has fallen short by just six seats to get a majority in the municipal corporation.

Hoshiarpur, Feb 14 (PTI) A BJP leader's vehicle was allegedly attacked here on Sunday by some unidentified people when a group of farmers was protesting against the Centre's farm laws.

According to police, the incident took place at Garhdiwala town, about 30 km from Hoshiarpur.

The vehicle of district BJP president (rural) Sanjiv Minhas was attacked when around 100 farmers were protesting against the Centre's farm laws outside a shop of another party leader, Jogesh Chopra, police said.

At that time, Minhas was present in the shop, said officials.

Chandigarh, Feb 14 (PTI) Expressing shock at statements of senior BJP leaders on the farmers who died at the Delhi borders protesting against the farm laws, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday said the party has lost the moral ground to rule at the Centre and in Haryana.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre should step down in the interest of the nation, as should the M L Khattar government in Haryana, said the chief minister slamming statements of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar and Haryana Agriculture Minister J P Dalal.

Chandigarh, Feb 14 (PTI) Polling is underway for the civic body elections in Punjab, officials said on Sunday.

The voting began at 8 am on Sunday and it will continue till 4 pm, they said.

Chandigarh, Feb 9 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said BJP leaders were facing spontaneous anger of farmers and rejected as hilarious claims of the saffron party's state unit that the protesters were not peasants but Congress workers.

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma had earlier in the day accused the Punjab government of organising protests under the guise of farmers' agitation to "prevent" candidates of the saffron party from campaigning ahead of the February 14 civic polls.