Tikshan Sood Warns of Strong

Ex-Minister Says District’s Unique Cultural and Geographical Identity Must Be Preserved
Hoshiarpur / Daljeet Ajnoha/Oct.8 :  Senior BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister Tikshan Sood has strongly criticized what he termed as deliberate attempts to further reduce the size of Hoshiarpur district. In a press statement, Sood accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of planning to create new districts in Punjab for political gains and warned against splitting Hoshiarpur’s territory in the process.Sud emphasized that while the government is free to create or rename districts, any plan to carve out parts of Hoshiarpur and merge them with new districts will face stiff opposition from the people. “If the state proceeds with such a move, it will be given a strong and fitting reply,” he cautioned.Highlighting the district’s long history, Sood said Hoshiarpur, nearly 175 years old and situated along the foothills of Himachal Pradesh, has a rich geographical and cultural legacy. Once stretching from the Beas River to the Sutlej River, parts of the district were previously separated — first during the 1966 reorganization when Una was detached, and later when Nawanshahr district was created by taking away the Balachaur region.Sood alleged that the government’s fresh intention to divide Hoshiarpur again has caused deep concern among its residents. He said the people are ready to defend the district’s cultural and geographical identity at any cost and warned that any attempt to isolate parts of Hoshiarpur for the formation of a new district would have serious consequences.