lashing out at the SAD-BJP Government in the State, Punjab Congress on Monday accused it of failing to maintain law and order and curb the growing problem of drug abuse. “law and order situation in Punjab has become worse and police have become a tool in the hands of Akalis. No one in Punjab is safe on account of misrule of SAD-BJP Government,” said the State Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, while addressing a mass contact programme at Sunder Chak.
Bajwa also took on the State Government for the growing drug problem in the State, alleging it had become “a silent spectator” on this issue. “We will eradicate drugs menace within a year of forming Government in the State and will send the Akalis responsible for drug trafficking to jail,” said Bajwa. Taking a swipe at Badal family, Bajwa said that family of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had turned “rich” during their regime while State had virtually become “bankrupt” due to their “faulty” policies.
On the alliance between the SAD and the BJP, Bajwa said that they would possibly part ways before 2017 Assembly polls but would join hands again after elections. Criticizing the land Bill, former lok Sabha MP alleged that Modi Government wanted to extend benefits to corporates through this Bill rather than benefiting farming community.
Coming down heavily on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bajwa said that he had befooled the people of the country by raising the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ before the lok Sabha elections while “his motto now is as Jai Adani, Jai Ambani”. Bajwa, talking of Modi’s shifting priorities Modi, referred to the ‘One Rank One Pension’ issue. “Modi at his rally of ex-servicemen at Rewari had said that OROP’s implementation would be his first decision after forming the Government but the same has been put on the back burner on one pretext or the other,” he said.
He recalled that it was due to the persistent efforts of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi that the UPA Government had taken the decision in principle on this long pending demand of the ex-servicemen and budget of Rs500 crore was also allocated for its implementation. Bajwa expressed apprehension that going by the delay in its implementation, the issue might be dropped.
Referring to Modi’s proposed visit to Anandur Sahib to participate in 350th anniversary of the founding of the holy city, Bajwa said that the Prime Minister had left Punjab totally disappointed during his last visit to the State that also happened to be his first after the lok Sabha elections. “There is no indication so far as his second visit too would be nothing more than just a formality,” he said. Bajwa called upon the Badal to ensure that, this time, the Prime Minister made some concrete announcements like package for the beleaguered farmers, categoric assurance against uprooting the Punjabi farmers settled in Gujarat and industrial concessions to the State on the pattern of the hill States which were announced by the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government but had proved detrimental for this border State.