Terming both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as “anti-Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat” parties, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday appealed to the people for a complete wipeout of both the parties in the larger interest of the State.
Badal, addressing the people during his Sangat Darshan programme in Khanna constituency, said that Congress party has harmed the State religiously, economically and socially and now, AAP is treading in the same path followed by Congress, “thus, both these parties need to be decimated for the betterment of the State”.
He listed out the “excesses and discrimination done by Congress party with Punjab”, while making reference to “planned attack on Sri Harimandir Sahib as well as 1984 Sikh Genocide”, construction of Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) canal, ruining Punjab’s economy by giving financial sops to industry in neighboring states.
“Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas are never given to Punjab, which led to social imbalance in the state,” he said, adding that now, AAP was also moving in the same direction and filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court regarding river waters of Punjab and by comparing their election manifesto with holy scriptures.
Badal appealed to the people to be considerate while taking political decision keeping in view their own interests in mind. SAD-BJP led Punjab government has paid more than Rs 50,000 crore from the government treasury for electricity bills of tubewells of farmers. Had the state government not paid this amount, the farmers, who are already reeling under agriculture debt, would have suffered a burden of Rs 50,000 crore,” he said.
He said that the state is now providing interest free loan of Rs 50,000 for farmers, besides free health treatment of up to Rs 50,000 for them, blue card holders, traders and construction workers.
Answering to a media query related to death of two persons in a road accident in ludhiana district a day before, Badal termed it as an unfortunate incident saying that any death due to road accidents is quite painful.
He said that for proper upkeep of stray cattle, the state government has constructed gaushalas in different parts of the State and the State Government is serious over this issue.