Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday alleged that the State Congress leaders, out of sheer frustration, were carrying on false propaganda against the SAD-BJP Government and asked people to beware of their designs.
He said that the State Congress leadership was bereft of any issue and was criticising the State Government on trivial matters just to gain publicity in the media. Badal alleged that the Congress leaders had unleashed false propaganda against his Government and were even indulging in mud-slinging. He asked the masses to be wary of their “nefarious” designs. Chief Minister, addressing a gathering at Fattu Dhinga after inaugurating a community health centre at a cost of Rs 4.33 crore, said that the people should do so some soul-searching before exercising their franchise in upcoming lok Sabha polls in the State.
He said that the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre had failed to deliver goods and the common man was feeling disenchanted. Dubbing the UPA regime as the “most inefficient and corrupt, Badal said that sky-rocketing prices coupled with widespread graft and maladministration had broken common man’s back.
“SAD-BJP Government has been taking up the issue from Day One that Centre-State relations should be recast with thrust on true federal structure rather the UPA Government has gradually diluted nation’s federal character to unitary one thereby encroaching upon jurisdiction and powers of the states” he added. Appealing the people for the change of guard at the Centre, the Chief Minister asked them to oust Congress and pave way for the installation of BJP led NDA Government so that Punjab could seek more funds and get big projects sanctioned for the State, which was not feasible in the present scenario due to Centre’s stepmotherly treatment towards Punjab.
later, Chief Minister accompanied by former Cabinet Minister and senior Akali leader Dr Upinderjit Kaur paid obeisance at the historic Gurdwara Sri Ber Sahib associated with first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev on his Parkash Utsav.
‘Exit polls unrealistic’
Days after the Election Commission of India banned exit polls till December 4, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said that such surveys are “imaginary, illusive and unrealistic”, and do not reflect the actual picture. “We should not infer conclusions instantly. The exit polls are just imaginary, illusive and unrealistic,” Badal told reporters.He said that in exit polls, the SAD-BJP alliance was projected to loose in 2012 Punjab Assembly polls but the actual picture was completely different and “we were voted to power consecutively for the second record term”.
‘Party can’t be blamed’
Reacting to the alleged involvement of Youth Akali workers in wake of heavy seizure of drugs and narcotics in the State, Badal said that how come the party could be blamed for the unscrupulous activities and misdeeds of any individual or a person associated with the party. “Anyone involved in such antisocial and unlawful activities, howsoever high or mighty he may be, would not be spared at any cost,” Badal said categorically. He said that the law would take its own course to bring guilty to the book as state government was firmly committed towards zero tolerance on the issue of drug trafficking.
At the same time, Badal squarely blamed the Centre for showing complacency on its part in checking the menace of cross border drug trafficking effectively because all these international borders were exclusively manned by the Central agencies and paramilitary forces.
‘Different opinion’
On the issue of internal differences in the party, Badal said that any constituent, ally or party can have its own views, but that does not amount to a difference. “Even members of a same family have a difference of opinion over an issue, but that doesn’t mean that there is no harmony,” he said.