Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Sunday said that Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had not only betrayed people of Punjab but also his constituents of Patiala by failing to even visit them once in the last one year, forget doing anything for them. Sukbir, addressing party’s Pol Khol rally, said that the huge gathering in the Chief Minister’s home district was proof of the severe anger of the people against the Congress government which had reneged on each and every promise made to them, be it farm loan waiver, jobs to youth or increasing social benefits.
Stating that the Congress government was not stopping at anything, Sukhbir said that it had stopped disbursal of old age pension and Shagun scheme besides closing down 800 primary schools as well as Sewa Kendras. “It has stopped the Chief Minister’s Teerath Yatra scheme. It has stopped disbursing medical insurance to farmers. Even scholarship is not being given to Scheduled Caste children,” he said.
Speaking about illegal mining, Sukhbir said that the Chief Minister should also do an aerial round of villages in the State just like his recent round when he had “discovered” illegal mining which was going on since one year.
“You will hear the wailing of widows who are grieving the suicides of their husbands after you failed to waive off their loans,” he said. Sukhbir added that the Chief Minister should ensure justice for the mining officer who had been beaten up in a Patiala police station for stopping Ghanaur MlA Madanlal Jalalpur from indulging in illegal mining. He also told officers not to register false cases against the people as had been done by the Bathinda Inspector General of Police recently. “Atrocities against people as well as booth rigging witnessed during the corporation elections in Patiala would cost the Chief Minister’s wife and former Union Minister Preneet Kaur dearly in the forthcoming parliamentary elections,” he said.
SAD’s firebrand leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia condemned the cowardly attack on his convoy allegedly by 10-15 “Congress miscreants” while he was coming to attend the rally. “I will continue to raise the voice of the people. They can even shoot us but they cannot prevent us from coming to the aid of the people,” he stated.
Majithia said that the entire incident of stoning of his convoy was pre-planned and facilitated by police personnel who gave a free hand to the dozen odd protestors.