Congress Deputy leader in lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday accused the Badal family of “misusing” the money of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and gave a clarion call to the people of Punjab urging them to rid the State of the Badals.
“Not only have they (Badals) looted and robbed Punjab all these years and turned it bankrupt, they have not even spared the Shiromani Committee whose money they have also bungled and misused,” said Capt Amarinder while addressing a public rally at Moga.
“They have not even spared the Guru's golak (cash box of Sikh shrines),” he said. lashing out at the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for allegedly letting down the state, he pointed out that he (Badal) had become the Chief Minister of Punjab for the fifth time and has hardly anything to his credit that he could claim he had done for the State and its people.
“Please list a single achievement you could tell people of Punjab you did for them,” he said.
“Instead, he has accumulated huge personal wealth worth thousands of crores of rupees, owning land and seven-star hotels,” the former CM said while wondering as how could anyone be so greedy. “His (Badal’s) only contribution to Punjab is debt and drugs both of which have destroyed the state,” he said and alleged that on the one hand, the State owes a debt of `1.25 lakh crores, and on the other, it is flushed with the synthetic drugs, produced and supplied under the Akalis' patronage.
Capt Amarinder appealed to the people to ensure that they vote carefully in the 2017 assembly polls. “Beware that you press the right button for the right person,” he said, warning, “lest you will end up electing people like Tota Singh (cabinet minister from Moga assembly seat) who has not done anything except indulging in rampant corruption and victimisation of the Congressmen.”
He also expressed apprehensions about the ability of the State Government to procure paddy that should be coming to the mandis within a month. While the FCI has stopped the purchase, the state government had no money which may result in no procurement of paddy at all, he said.
Capt Amarinder also condemned the delay in implementing ‘One Rank One Pension’ for the ex-servicemen of the country when it had been promised to them and particularly when the previous UPA Government had already approved it.
“If you can spare Rs one lakh crore for Kashmir and another `1.25 lakh crore for the poll-bound Bihar, why can't you spare a mere `9,100 crore for our ex-servicemen who have given their entire life to the countryIJ” he asked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This was the worst betrayal as they had taken their votes in the name of the OROP and when the time came for keeping the promise, they backed out, he alleged.