New Delhi:

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has suggested the Shiromani Akali Dal should honour the man who shot at Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal since he himself had accepted he committed sacrilege, due to which the former Punjab deputy chief minister had to serve penance.

Mr Bittu in a swipe at the Akali Dal also suggested the party’s general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia should embrace Narain Singh Chaura, the man who shot at Mr Badal, “in the same way Majithia had embraced Beant Singh’s killers.”

Mr Bittu alleged the Akali Dal sympathised with terrorists, “but terrorists are not loyal to anyone.”

“Shiromani Akali Dal should show respect to Narain Singh Chaura. I appeal to the Jathedar to honour Narain Singh Chaura by putting his picture in the museum built next to the Akal Takht Sahib,” Mr Bittu, the Union Minister of State for Railway and Food Processing Industries, told reporters.

Former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was from the Congress, was assassinated by a suicide bomber in August 1995.

“When Sukhbir Singh Badal himself accepted the sacrilege, Narain Singh got emotional and fired at him, which missed and hit a wall. Narain Singh is a gem of the nation…” Mr Bittu said, adding Narain Singh fired at Sukhbir Badal “in the spirit of the Guru”, and so no case should be filed against him.

“If a case is filed, all expenses of the case should be paid to the SGPC and Narain Singh should be acquitted,” Mr Bittu said, in an apparent swipe at the Akali Dal.

Responding to the Union minister’s swipe, Bikram Singh Majithia said Mr Bittu and the BJP have a lot to answer for “validating the attack” on the former deputy chief minister.

“… On December 4, he (Mr Bittu) condemned the attack outside the parliament and now he has validated the attack. The BJP has a lot to answer. Why is their minister justifying an attack inside a gurdwara? Does the BJP support the ideology of Narain Singh Chaura because he is a sleeper cell of the ISI? RDX and an AK-47 rifle have been recovered from his house…”

#WATCH | Punjab: On Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu’s statement on the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia says, “… On December 4, he condemned the attack outside the Parliament and now he has validated the attack. BJP… pic.twitter.com/WU4O37yOPQ

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2024

Mr Badal, 62, was shot at while serving penance ordered by the Akal Takht, the Sikhs’ highest temporal body. He had been found guilty of religious misconduct when the Akalis were in power in Punjab, from 2007 to 2017, and declared a ‘tankhaiya’, or one guilty of religious misconduct.

He was sentenced to serve food and clean dishes and toilets in gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, and began his first day as a ‘sevadar’ on Tuesday. Dressed in blue, he sat in a wheelchair, with a plaque around his neck and a spear in hand, and his first act of contrition was washing vessels. That day passed uneventfully.

However, on Wednesday, former Khalistaini terrorist Narain Singh opened fire from a close range at Sukhbir Badal at the main gate of the Sikh shrine. He missed, and plainclothes policemen overpowered him.

Chandigarh (Punjab):

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Saturday blamed the Punjab government led by the Aam Aadmi Party for the farmers’ protests in the state and demanded the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Raghav Chadha the enemies of the people of Punjab.

“This problem has been intentionally created by the AAP government (of Punjab). This problem is neither from the side of farmers nor from the central government… Rs 44,000 crore has already been released by the central government (for Punjab) two months back to procure crops on the MSP (minimum support price). People who are enemies of Punjab – like Arvind Kejriwal and Raghav Chadha – have a hold there and they are not passing orders to Inspectors to procure crops,” Bittu told ANI in Chandigarh.

“Tomorrow, we will meet the governor. If the Chief Minister (Bhagwant Mann) resigns, this issue can be solved in two days,” he added.

Earlier today, farmers in Punjab said that their protests against the government to press for multiple demands, including timely paddy procurement, will continue and a road blockade will be organised in Sangrur, Bhatinda, Moga, Batala, and Gurdaspur in the State.

The farmers have also been protesting against police actions against farmers for stubble burning.

Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (PKMSC) District President Aranjeet Singh said they will gather in Phagwada over the issues concerning farmers of the state.

“Both the Punjab government and the central government should find a solution and resolve the issue timely so that the people do not face any problems because of the road blockade (chakka jam). We don’t want common people to face any problems. However, if the government is unable to decide anything, we will be forced to block the roads,” Mr Singh said.

Meanwhile, farmers from Punjab’s Jalandhar joined other protestors and were seen moving towards the Phagwara protest site to block the highway this morning.

On the action taken against farmers over stubble burning, a senior farm leader said that the pollution emitted by factories and vehicles on roads is not even mentioned, but the stubble burning issue is often highlighted.

“They have taken action (against farmers) in the name of stubble burning. The pollution is not only because of stubble burning. It also happens due to many vehicles on roads, due to factories. Stubble burning only contributes two to three per cent to pollution levels. The pollution emitted by factories and other things is not even mentioned. Stubble burning is just an excuse to defame the farmers, which is unfair. The Punjab government and the central government are alike. They just want to destroy farmers. This is why the protests will go on indefinitely. We will go to Phagwada from Amritsar and block the roads,” the farm leader said.

The roadblocks will be organised at four places including Sangrur, Moga, Phagwara, and Batla.

Surjeet Singh Phul, president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) Punjabi said that the blockade will continue indefinitely if the demands are not met.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Union minister of state and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu was elected unopposed as a member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Tuesday.

Three candidates had filed nominations for the Rajya Sabha bypolls, one of whom was a BJP dummy candidate. The last date for withdrawal of nomination for the Rajya Sabha by-election was August 27 The nomination paper of independent candidate Babita Wadhwani was cancelled during scrutiny on August 22.

BJP’s dummy candidate Sunil Kothari withdrew his nomination on Friday, making Ravneet Singh Bittu as the only candidate in the bye-election.

Rajasthan Legislative Assembly principal secretary and election officer Mahavir Prasad Sharma on Tuesday presented a certificate to Yogendra Singh Tanwar, the authorised election agent of Bittu.

The opposition Congress had decided not to field a candidate in the by-election.

The election was held after Congress’s KC Venugopal resigned as RS MP when he was elected in the Lok Sabha polls.

The term of membership on this seat from Rajasthan will be till June 21, 2026. There are a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan. After Bittu’s election, BJP and Congress have five seats each.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ravneet Singh Bittu
| Photo Credit: PTI

Punjab’s Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Ravneet Singh Bittu met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought special incentives for industry and farmers of Punjab’s border districts following the pattern of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Taking up the issues of Punjab at a marathon meeting held late Wednesday night, the Hon’ble Minister urged the Hon’ble Finance Minister to consider the demands of Punjab on priority being a border state,” a press statement issued from Mr. Bittu’s office said.

The minister demanded special incentives for the border districts of Punjab namely Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran to boost investment as well as employment opportunities in line with Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states, the statement added.

“The Hon’ble Minister informed the FM that the flagship Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) should be reintroduced with a threshold limit of 1,00,00.000, as there is a lack of effective schemes supporting MSMEs in achieving technological advancements,” the release said.

“In light of the recent increase in capital costs, it is desired that the limit under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) be increased to 1,00,00,000,” it added.

According to Mr. Bittu’s office, the minister also suggested to Mr. Sitharaman an amendment in freight subsidy criteria to cover the MSMEs in Punjab.

“The FM was apprised of the fact that transportation costs to deliver goods to the nearest port in India is much higher for land-locked states such as Punjab as compared to the coastal states. The cost also depends on the distance of the nearest port from the respective state.” the release said.

“Many other states like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, parts of Uttarakhand and West Bengal are enjoying transport subsidies ranging from 50 to 90 per cent,” it added.

According to the minister’s office, the issue of reduction of GST on bicycles to 5% as on e-bicycles was also discussed in the meeting.

“The Hon’ble Minister demanded to commence the operations of the Refrigeration Unit near Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar to boost export of food items from Punjab. The unit, installed years ago, is not yet functional. It would benefit Punjab and neighboring states as well,” the release said.

The minister also pushed for “Farmer Entrepreneur Initiative” and special incentives on Agro- based MSME industry along with food processing industry to generate employment in the border districts, it added.

“The Hon’ble Minister suggested a lower rate of interest, collateral free loans and relaxation in CGST. He also sought waiver for farmers with land holdings up to 5 acres, soil testing labs for Majha, Doaba and Malwa regions of Punjab and special package for R&D at Punjab Agriculture University Ludhiana,” the release said.

“The Hon’ble Finance Minister heard him with patience and assured that Punjab will get a very good representation in the coming budget,” it added.