Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Thursday emphasised that Punjab is the most peaceful State in the country where the SAD-BJP Government has maintained the communal harmony as a top priority under the leadership of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.Sukhbir, addressing the mediapersons after giving away cash awards to 306 medal winners in national and international games, ridiculed that there was no threat of terrorism in the State as Punjab Police have nabbed terrorist modules not only from Punjab but also from abroad. Replying to a question about the proposed domestic flights from Adampur and Halwara defence airports, Sukhbir said that he had met Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in this regard, besides appointing a senior officer at New Delhi to pursue the proposal submitted by the Punjab Government to the Union Ministry.
Talking about the uniformity in VAT on petroleum products in northern States, he said that it had already decided in principal by Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and UT Chandigarh few months ago to fix uniform VAT on diesel and petrol in adjoining States to check evasion of taxes and oil smuggling.Calling the people to give a befitted reply to the “defame Punjab campaign” launched by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and others, he said that Punjab was fighting national as well as international war on drugs and not a single gram drug is being produced in Punjab.
He asked to raise voice against the Congress who was indulging in false propaganda to gain political mileage.Answering a question about the rallies organised by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Sukhbir said: “He has only fighting for personal goals to capture the captaincy of PPCC from Partap Singh Bajwa and his programme has nothing to do with the common people of the State.”Taking a dig at the opposition for raising hue and cry over the promises made by SAD-BJP Government, Sukhbir said: “I believe in ‘think big and achieve big’. When I had made a promise that Punjab would be the first power surplus State about four years ago, the Opposition parties made it a matter of joke but today we can proudly say that Punjab has archived its target…In next eight months, Punjab would have 5,000 MW surplus power.”