SAD condemns brutal attack on protesting anganwadi workers

Chandigarh/30 October/ Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the congress government for using brutal methods to curb the voices of dissent across the state, saying that the government should pay heed to the demands of Anganadi workers rather cane-charging them for voicing their opinion against its anti-people policies.

In a statement, SAD spokesman S. Virsa Singh Valtoha said that it is unfortunate that the Congress government is crushing the spirit of democracy by greeting every protester in the state with an iron hand. “The cane-charging against the protesting Anganwadi workers in Patiala had not only violated their constitutional right to protest, but it was also against our values of condemning any kind of violence against the womenfolk” he added.

Criticizing the police for using brutal force for foiling the protest of Anganwadi workers recently at the hometown of Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh, S Valtoha said that a number of women anganwadi workers and helpers were injured in the melee when police confronted them on their way to the protesting site. “These government employees were protesting the Punjab government for merging pre-primary classes in the primary schools and against the closure of 800 schools. This government cannot even bear the sight of such protesters who keep reminding it the long term consequences of its faulty policies” he added.

Asking the government to immediately pay heed to the demands of anganwadi workers he said that the government should not mess up the education sector by its petty profit-oriented approach. “The primary objective of education to uplift the society by the sheer power of knowledge must be alive. So the voice of these knowledge-providers should be heard and their services should be put into right use.