Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday slammed Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa for stooping too low by launching a malicious campaign against the SAD-BJP Government just to gain cheap popularity.
Badal dared Bajwa to shun tirade against alliance Government while terming it as “canard aimed at tarnishing the sanguine image of the SAD-BJP Government”, which has the mandate of people and had came to power consecutively for second time on the sole plank of development.
“The mounting frustration amongst the senior Congress leadership in the State is as evident from the fact that they have been discarded by the people time and again,” said Badal while talking to the mediapersons during the concluding day of his Sangat Darshan programme.
Badal categorically said that he had never expected PPCC chief Bajwa to behave in such a childish manner who deliberately knowing everything has shut his eyes and was issuing half baked statements without verifying the facts.
Refuting Bajwa’s allegations regarding politicisation of Police force, Badal said that this charge was totally unsubstantiated as the police force was working in accordance with the law of the land.
“All the officers are being appointed in the State on the basis of their merit and seniority…We have not conducted any new recruitment of the Police officers and most of the top brass is the same, who were holding key posts during the Congress regime from 2002-2007,” he added.
Holding Centre’s “ill-conceived policies” responsible for State’s poor economic conditions, Badal said that the faulty criteria of the devolution of taxes collected from the States was primarily responsible for it.
Two SAD groups clash in Moga
Two factions of Shiromani Akali Dal clashed soon after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal ended his Sangat Darshan programme at Jogewala village in Moga district, on Friday evening.
The incident happened soon after Badal left the village after his Sangat Darshan programme, where he listened to the grievances faced by people in the village. While one group was led by SAD block president
Kuldeep Singh which consisted of veteran Akalis, the rival group was led by Nirmal Singh, owing allegiance to SAD MlA Joginderpal Jain.