Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday said that the party would aggressively confront the Akali Dal-BJP combine by taking up the issues concerning people at every level and give a befitting reply to unfair practices. Calling upon the people to give a crushing defeat to the opportunistic Akali Dal-BJP alliance, Bajwa said that the Congress would take every advantage of the apparent fissures between the two alliance partners.
Defining the issues which his party would take up, Bajwa referred to the property tax which, he said, was “irrational and unnecessary burden on the people. It touched every section of society in urban areas”. The State Congress chief pointed out that in the name of development, the cities and towns had potholed roads with a big chunk of the population being denied even minimum basic amenities.
“Every day pictures appeared in the media about the sewerage flowing in the streets making people’s lives miserable. The Government is just apathetic to the quality of life of the people. The situation is worst for the lowest strata of society and those living in slums,” he said. Bajwa said that drinking water and sewerage constituted two basic minimum amenities and it should be the right of the people to get the same.
He said that BJP was trying to wriggle out of anti-incumbency faced by the Parkash Singh Badal Government by breaking the alliance in formally at several places, but this game of the saffron party would not succeed as both the parties were equal partners in anti-incumbency and the people were angry at both.
“BJP’s irony is that the department of local bodies is with party but it has been trying to pass on its failure to manage the civic affairs on to the other partner,” Bajwa pointed. Meanwhile, Bajwa demanded the arrest of Gurdev Singh Mann, Gursewak Singh Mann and Rohit Vohra, “who are on the spree after non-bailable warrants have been issued against them under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code”.
“Congress party demands the re-election in Guru Har Sahai immediately and new election schedule should be issued,” demanded Bajwa. He said that we apprehend threat to the life of three-time sitting MlA Rana Gurmit Sodhi on the behest of ruling party, these goons are freely roaming. “Congress party will move to the appropriate court if the Government and the administration will not take action against these goons and there would be mass protests on the streets of Punjab,” he said.