In a move to provide relief to the farmers of Punjab’s border areas, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday directed all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of the border districts to disburse compensation to farmers having land across the fence near International border within a week.
“Hundreds of farmers, having land around 21,000 acres across the fence, would avail the benefit of this major initiative taken by the State Government,” said Badal while addressing a gathering in a State-level function to inaugurate distribution of compensation.
He said that the State Government was duty bound to forever extend a helping hand to the brave farmers of the border region, who face a lot of hardships due to fencing. No stone would be left unturned to help these valiant sons of the soil, he added.
Badal said that he was well aware of the peculiar situation of these farmers due to which he had always raised this matter with the Central Government.
“The alliance Government had in 1997-2002 regime initiated the scheme of giving relief worth Rs2,500 per acre to the farmers and now it has been enhanced to Rs10,000 per acre,” said Badal describing it as humble tribute from the State Government in recognition to the sufferings faced by the farmers of this region.
At the same time, Badal said that the Congress Governments, both in the State and the Centre, had never bothered about the interests of the farmers. “The Congress regime, led by Capt Amarinder Singh, had discontinued this compensation,” he added.
Coming down heavily on the State Congress chief, Badal said that debt waiver campaign of State Congress chief was a big fraud adding that Capt Amarinder’s tenure was best remembered for his anti-farmer stance but now he was indulging in all sorts of tantrums to win over their support by spreading canards.
CONSTRUCTION OF SYl NOT TO BE AllOWED AT ANY COST
Badal, while asserting that Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) canal would never become a reality, exhorted the people to make every sacrifice to protect the river waters of the State.
Badal categorically stated that Punjab doesn’t have a single drop of spare water for anybody adding that SYl agreement was a grave injustice done by the successive Congress Governments with the State.
He said that Akali Dal was opposed to this agreement, which robbed the water of State, from day one adding that now also they were firm to their stand to not allow the construction of this canal at any cost.
Describing the resignation by Capt Amarinder and 42 other Congress MlAs as a “mere political stunt”, Badal recalled the grave conspiracy conceived by Congress to divest the State of its legitimate share in river waters.
He held the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi squarely responsible for Punjab's crisis as she forced the erstwhile Congress Chief Minister of Punjab Darbara Singh into signing an agreement to give away Punjab's waters to Haryana forcing him to withdraw the Supreme Court Case filed by him to protect Punjab river water interests.
In the same breath, Badal also held Capt Amarinder responsible for inviting Gandhi to start the digging of the canal at Kapuri in his own constituency Patiala by offering her a silver spade to start the digging.
“While Congress rejoiced the occasion, SAD had launched a long peaceful democratic morcha for Punjab's interests as a result of which no river waters went out of Punjab after that,” he added.
SAD, TRUE CUSTODIAN OF PUNJAB’S INTEREST
Badal said that only Shiromani Akali Dal was the true custodian of the interests of Punjab and its people.
“The last around ten years of rule of SAD-BJP alliance is testimony to the fact that the state government has delivered every promise made to people…The alliance delivers whereas the other political parties just mislead the people by unleashing malicious propaganda,” he added.
Chief Minister called upon the people to hand over the control of their destiny in right hands by forming SAD-BJP alliance Government for third consecutive term. He said that every vote for alliance in coming poll would be a vote for stability, development, peace and right governance in the state.
SYl: MAJITHIA QUESTIONS KEJRIWAl’S SIlENCE
Complementing the Chief Minister for burying the SYl issue for ever by de-notifying the land and giving it back to farmers, the state Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia described Badal as the true custodian of the rights of the farming community.
Quipping on the inaccessibility of state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, Majithia said that the former Chief Minister was least worried about the state and its people.
Training guns against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Majithia questioned his stoic silence over the SYl issue adding, “Kejriwal & Co are political chameleons who frequently changed their colour on SYl issue”.