Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday dubbed Aam Adami Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to Harmandar Sahib on July 18 for performing ‘Sewa’ as a sham saying it would not absolve him and his party in any case from the heinous sin committed by publishing the picture of Darbar Sahib along with broom — their election symbol — on the party’s youth manifesto.
Talking to reporters on the on the sidelines of his Sangat Darshan programme in Ropar Assembly Constituency, the Chief Minister said that Kejriwal and his party now stood fully exposed as their mind-set had clearly revealed their innermost psyche that how ‘scant respect they show towards the religious sentiments of other communities may be Sikh, Hindu or Muslim.’
He, however, said that anyone could offer prayer and perform ‘sewa’ at Sri Darbar Sahib as a true devotee who has a feeling of repentance but people like Kejriwal and his accomplices were only indulged in politicking as there was a world of difference between their words and actions. He said that the proposed visit of AAP convener was nothing more than a political stunt to salvage his image and party’s swiftly falling graph of popularity. “The sole aim of his party was to wrest power in Punjab by hook or crook to pursue their political ambitions, thereby throwing all the norms of decency and morality to winds,” he added.
On a query on rising unemployment, the Chief Minister said that it was not feasible for any Government to provide Government jobs to the entire unemployed youth although the State Government has already launched a massive recruitment drive to provide employment to the youth in Education, Health, Power and Police departments.
Badal said the State Government had already set up a skill development mission through which several skill development centres have been opened to impart vocational training to our youth in different trades so as to enable them to be gainfully employed in private sector or set up their own ventures.
On the issue of regularisation of illegal colonies across the State, the Chief Minister said that the State Government was already committed to regularize all the colonies and the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) — the nodal agency had been directed to undertake the entire process of regularisation of such colonies so as to ensure basic civic amenities to the residents of these colonies.
Referring to another issue for the management and maintenance of various historical memorials and monuments in the state, Badal said that the Cultural & Tourism department had already been asked to constitute special committees under the Chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners for the proper upkeep and maintenance of these memorials in the concerned districts besides a cultural cess of 1 per cent was levied on infrastructure projects worth more than `50 crore as contribution towards the Punjab Ancient, Historical Monuments, Archeological Sites and Cultural Heritage Maintenance Board Act-2013.
Addressing the public gathering during his Sangat Darshan programme at local grain market, the Chief Minister announced the up-gradation of Rupnagar Municipal Council to accord Class-I status to it and said a formal decision to this effect would be taken soon in the next Cabinet meeting.