Taking the election campaign of his MP wife and SAD-BJP candidate from Bathinda constituency on a fast track, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Thursday toured more than dozen villages of the constituency raising the election heat to the peak level.
A day before NDA’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally, Sukhbir addressed public meeting in several villages appealing the voters in the favour of Harsimrat Badal. During these rallies, he recalled initiative taken by SAD-BJP Government and especially by Harsimrat for area’s development and appealed the voters to “vote for performance”.
FocuSsing on expected loss to farmers because of untimely rains in this harvesting season, he promised that NDA Government would introduce comprehensive crop insurance to secure farmers against these unforeseen losses. He also promised that NDA would provide agricultural loans at cheaper rates of interest.
Appealing the youth to vote for SAD-BJP for better future of Punjab, Sukhbir said that Modi-Badal-Jaitley relationship would ensure an economic package for Punjab with cent per cent waiver of Central excise and Income Tax to bring an industrial revolution in the state.
Baba Ramdev’s Press conference disallowed
Hoshiarpur: Hoshiarpur district administration on Thursday did not allow Baba Ramdev to hold a Press conference at Zila Parishad complex on the ground that the premises belonged to Punjab Government, leaving the Yoga guru fuming.
The district administration has granted him permission to hold yoga camp but strictly warned its local organisers not to use the place for election campaign of BJP-SAD candidate Vijay Sampla.
Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Tanu Kashyap said the Press Club — venue of the media meet — was located in the Zila Parishad complex, whose premises belonged to the State Government.
Meanwhile, a fuming Ramdev condemned the district administration for disallowing him to hold the Press conference and said that the freedom of free speech and writing, granted by the Constitution, was being snatched. “Right of expressing views should not be disallowed,” he told reporters.
Ramdev slammed the Congress and expressed confidence that BJP-led by Narendra Modi would win more than 300 seats in lok Sabha elections.
‘No amount of voter intimidation to work’
Sangrur: Congress MP and party candidate from Sangrur on Thursday said no amount of voter intimidation is going to work for the Akali-BJP alliance. “Punjabis have made up their mind to cast their franchise against the mafia-style of functioning and Congress will come out victorious in all 13 seats in Punjab,” he said. Singla stated on one side, BJP prime ministerial candidate is invoking god to help him and on the other, Akalis are wielding danda to browbeat the people. “It is
common refrain regarding the Akali-BJP alliance in
Punjab that ‘jitaange te lootange... haraange te kutange (win we loot the treasury and loose we beat the public),” he said adding that such tactics only expose high handedness and empty rhetoric of service to the people and it is only Raj Nahi Mewa for the ruling alliance in Punjab.
Special manifesto for Mohali released
Mohali: Going a step ahead, SAD-BJP combine candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra on Thursday released a special election manifesto for Mohali city promising to work wholeheartedly for welfare, security and dignity of all constituents of the area in particular.
He listed out international airport, metro rail, inter-State bus terminal and local bus service projects as his top priority, particularly to complete these projects in a time bound manner. Chandumajra, releasing the manifesto, said that after denial of Chandigarh city by the Centre to Punjab, Akali-BJP Government was developing Mohali as twin capital of Punjab. “Within next two years, basic infrastructure, health and education areas will receive special attention, which include opening a government medical college and hospital, up-gradation of existing government hospital in Phase-VI and another new government hospital for newly developed and developing sectors,” he added.
SAD manifesto ‘bundle of false promises’
Chandigarh: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Punjab State Committee secretary comrade Charan Singh Virdi on Thursday maintained that election manifesto released by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was not only fulfilment of a formality but a bundle of false promises and hypocrisy.
Pointing out the utter hypocrisy practiced by Badal and Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, Virdi referred the issue of solution of lingering Punjab problem, including transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, settlement of territorial claims and counter claims and just distribution of Ravi-Beas waters.
“No Central Government, whether of Congress or BJP-led NDA, solved this problem. And Akali Dal never took up this issue with the central government except raising it as a ritual in Governor’s address or in elections manifesto,” he added.