EXPRESSES SHOCK AT THE MANNER IN WHICH THE BORDER BELT WAS IGNORED BY CONGRESS AND AAP
VIKRAM DITYA SHARMA/FEROZOZEPORE
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today appealed to Punjabis to teach a befitting lesson to both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for betraying them by ensuring the forfeiture of the security deposit of candidates of both these parties in the forthcoming parliamentary election.
The SAD President, who visited Guruharsahai and Jalalabad constituencies as part of the party’s “Punjab Bachao Yatra”, expressed shock at the manner in which the border belt had been ignored by both the Congress and AAP. He said the SAD was committed to restoring ownership rights to the tillers who had not been given this right till now. While addressing the farmers Sukhbir claimed that Earlier, former CM Parkash Singh Badal Sab had initiated this procedure but the subsequent Congress government refused ownership rights for the farmers. He claimed that the SAD will provide these rights to the farmers immediately after the formation of the government. (SUBHEAD)
Sukhbir also expressed shock that both Sewa Kendras and Suvidha Kendras which had been established by the SAD in the border belt had been closed down. “People have come to me and told me that they are not even getting access to potable water with RO plants established by the SAD being closed. Many have also claimed that social welfare benefits like aata-daal and old age pension are being denied to them. All this is condemnable and we are committing to restoring all these facilities back to the people”, he added.
Asserting that the SAD would never let Punjabis down as had been done by the Congress and AAP, Sukhbir said that for SAD regional aspirations are most important.
He said recent attacks on the SGPC and panthic institutions was the result of the weakening of the party in the electoral arena. “See the damage which this has done to the Panth. The Shiromani Committee was broken and a separate Haryana government sponsored committee was formed in Haryana. The Maharashtra government tried to take over the Hazur Sahib Committee even as the Delhi Committee was taken over”, said Sukhbir.
The SAD President also asserted that the drug menace had attained alarming proportions in Punjab because AAP legislators were not only colluding with drug lords but also taking monthlies from them. He said the AAP legislators were also interfering in police functioning and preventing the police from arresting drug kingpins. “The high prevalence of drugs coupled with hooliganism and the culture of extortions had taken Punjab back with no new investment coming into the State and even home grown entrepreneurs migrating from the State to Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere”, said Sukhbir adding that the scenario will be changed once SAD attains power.
