Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday alleged that the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Government had "failed" to keep its poll promises and that farmers in the State were still "waiting" for the debt waiver.
To take on the Government for its "failure", the SAD has decided to launch a people's movement — the decision regarding which would be taken by its core committee meeting on September 16.
"SAD will take the State Government to task and that his party's core committee would decide on an agitation programme on September 16," declared SAD president Sukhbir Badal.
He said that the Congress Government has failed to waive farm loans despite a written commitment by the Chief Minister, which was handed over to farmers through forms. The same commitment was reiterated by Capt Amarinder both inside and outside the Punjab Assembly, but farmers are still waiting for waiver of loan worth Rs 90,000 crore, he added.
"The Government has also raised the market fee and rural development cess which will affect lakhs of farmers cultivating crops like basmati, cotton and vegetables, which are not covered by the MSP," he said.
Sukhbir pointed that he had earlier said that we would give time to the Government to deliver. "It will be completing its six months soon. Their six months can be best described as one in which they raised false hopes with false promises and indulged in blatant lies, fraud and betrayal," he said.
Highlighting the "injustices" being done to farmers, Sukhbir claimed that 'kurki' (attachment of land) was still being done in the State as the Government had not amended the relevant clause in the Revenue Act.
"More than 200 farmers have committed suicide, but no family has been given the Rs 10 lakh compensation or Government jobs. The Government is even resorting to petty politics by releasing balance payments of sugarcane procured from farmers in the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency as it is going for bypolls," the SAD leader said.
The Government had promised around 10 lakh jobs every year under the 'Ghar Ghar Naukari' programme, but till now only one job of Deputy Superintendent of Police has been given to an "over-age" person, who is former Chief Minister Beant Singh's grandson, Sukhbir claimed.
He alleged that the Government had appropriated the routine placement drive by technical institutions as 'Rozgar Mela'.
He said that it was even more disturbing that there was no sanctity of decisions taken by the Cabinet or those announced in the Assembly.
Announcements of free mobile phones, unemployment allowances and freezing electricity tariff at Rs five per unit for new and existing industry are yet to be implemented, he claimed.
Even a decision taken in the very first Cabinet meeting to regularise contractual and ad-hoc employees had not been implemented, Sukhbir said.
"The Cabinet decision to give free education to girls from primary to the PhD level has also not been implemented in this academic session. No money has been allocated for the Rs 100 crore start-up fund for youth which was announced by the Chief Minister in the Assembly," he said.
He maintained that the welfare schemes and development work, started by SAD-BJP Government, were either stopped or made worthless making the people to suffer from its benefits.
On the issue of Satluj-Yamuna link canal, Sukhbir said that Punjab waters were non-negotiable and asked Capt Amarinder not to agree to any settlement with Haryana.
He also criticised his cousin and State Finance Minister Manpreet Badal for befooling the people by
making false promises in the manifesto prepared under his chairmanship as he knew the Government's financial position.