Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday dared former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa to check lineage of Congress party before
making tall claims to safeguard the interests of Punjab and Punjabis.
“Before making any more tall claims to safeguard the interests of the State and its people, they should, at least, decipher the lineage of Congress party which had ever remained inimical to the interests of Punjab and Punjabis especially the Sikhs from day one,” said Badal while addressing a mammoth Sadbhawna rally.
Badal cautioned the people in general and Sikhs in particular that Congress was their number one enemy, which had always bartered away with the interests of State for its narrow political motives.
“The Congress has ever ruined the State economically, socially, politically and it had even gone to an extent for destroying glorious traditions of Sikh panth through direct interference in its
religious affairs. Sikhs could never imagine of pardoning the Congress and its
dubious leadership which perpetrated genocide of Sikhs in 1984 post Indira Gandhi’s assassination,” he said adding that they could never forget the Army attack on Harmandar Sahib.
Saying that Congress had always ditched Punjab, he said that all this has created a sense of disgust, anger, hatred and agony amongst us, which could never get away from our minds.
He cautioned the people not to be swayed by the Congress leadership’s false propaganda anymore.
Sounding an alarming bell to the divisive forces, Badal asked the people not to get emotionally blackmailed by their sheer provocation in the name of religion.
“We have already suffered a lot for these political gimmicks and could not suffer anymore. Unfortunately, we have been deprived of our religious shrines viz Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib and Sri Panja Sahib which are now in Pakistan,” he said.
JAIlED AKAlIS SHOUlD BE HONOURED lIKE MANDElA: SUKHBIR
Recalling SAD’s 95-year-old legacy on its birthday on Monday, party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal demanded that those Akalis who have served sentences in jails during struggle should be honoured like South Africa’s former President Nelson Mandela.
“The whole world admires African legend Nelson Mandela as a hero for fighting against injustice by spending 15 years in jail. But, lakhs of SAD workers have spent more time in jails for unity, brotherhood and communal harmony. They should also be honoured like him,” he said while adding that a matter of proud for him to be the president of India's second oldest political party.
Sukhbir said that the grand old Akali organisation had always stood against the injustice since its origin in the form of Gurdwara Sudhar lahar, Independence struggle and war against emergency.
Taking a dig at Gandhi family for their anti-Punjab agenda, SAD president said that Gandhi family had always played with the sentiments of Sikhs to garner political mileage and this time too they implemented the anti-Punjab agenda through hard core elements by holding congregation at Chabba.
Making major announcement, Sukhbir said that Rs 2000 crore would be spent on the development of holy city Amritsar. Besides, power connections would be provided to all deras or dhanis and construction of pucca roads with Rs 400 crore in the coming months.
Announcing social welfare schemes to be launched by the Punjab government, he said that the enhanced old age pension from Rs 250 to Rs 500, Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna with free treatment up to Rs 50,000 would be implemented from January 2016.
Terming AAP leaders and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a “biggest fraudulent”, Sukhbir said: “They come in power in Delhi with the slogan of simplicity but now they started to loot the public exchequer by increasing the monthly salaries of their MlAs to Rs 2.50 lakh, even more than PM. Besides, AAP MlAs had been provided with facilities.”
MAJITHIA DARES SIKKI NOT TO RE-CONTEST KHADOOR SAHIB BYPOll ON CONG TICKET
Punjab Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia challenged the Congress’ former MlA Ramanjit Singh Sikki, who recently resigned from Punjab Vidhan Sabha, not to re-contest by-election from Khadoor sahib on the Congress ticket. “The party has soaked its hands with the blood of innocent Sikhs, who were brutally massacred at the behest of senior leaders of the Congress party,” he said.
Taking Congress leadership to cudgels, Majithia said that it could never be absolved of its involvement for inciting 1984 genocide against Sikhs.
He also reminded the insensitivity on the part of the then Prime Minister late Rajeev Gandhi. “Justice has still been elusive to the victims of 1984 Sikh genocide even after 31 years and the Congress leaders who were involved in this most heinous crime against humanity are moving scot free,” said Majithia.
Making a frontal attack on the Aam Adami Party MP Bhagwant Mann, he said that Mann had thrown the glorious traditions of Sikh ‘Rehat Maryada’ (religious code of ethics) to winds.