Expressing surprise over the way Punjab Government was going overboard on ‘inauguration’ spree of hundreds of public projects to woo voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, AAP on Monday said that it should immediately release the long-pending arrears, or dues of the people under various schemes launched by the Government, before the enforcement of the code of conduct in the state.
AAP MLAs Manjit Singh Bilaspur and Kulwant Singh Pandori, in a joint statement, described the government’s inauguration spree as “a preposterous propaganda merely to garner political mileage”.
Taking a pot-shot at the government “wasteful” exercise, AAP MLAs said that the government, instead of peddling false dreams to ensure winnabilty in the ensuing polls, was required to focus more on the core issues and concerns the people of the state were wrestling with.
“The government must show a speck of seriousness in releasing long-pending arrears of cane growers, DA instalments to Punjab Government employees, MANREGA beneficiaries and initiate immediate steps to address agrarian crisis and show its sensitivity towards the beleaguered consumers who are being hounded by the hefty power bills against their normal consumption,” they said.
MODI GOVT UNDERMINED BRAVE SOLDIERS’ DIGNITY AND HONOUR: AAP
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday accused the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre for “denigrating” the honour and dignity of brave soldiers by levering the recent air strike by the Indian Air Force in garnering political mileage.
“No sane countrymen could tolerate such a cheap political gimmick to undermining the dignity of our brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the motherland,” he said.
Cheema said that the conflicting statements of BJP national president Amit Shah and Union Minister SS Ahluwalia were indicative of the cheap politics being played out over the deeds of chivalry of our brave soldiers by the government for its petty political ends.
“Army had officially made it categorically clear that it was not bound to brief over how many militants were killed in the surgical strike carried out in Balakot area. And during the social media slugfest, Shah confirmed that more than 250 militants had been killed during the operation,” he pointed.
He said that Shah and the who’s who of the party and its sympathizers were seen giving full credit to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “More devastating is saying it through posters and banners that suddenly appeared in public domain,” he said.
“The act on the part of the Modi dispensation has left not only the countrymen but also the bereaved families of the martyrs devastated…The government should not indulge in such acts as might undermine the dignity and honour of the chivalrous acts of our soldier,” he said.
Cheema alleged that the “well thought-out ploy to en-cash the feat of bravery into votes” was sure to boomerang as the people of the country had seen through the evil design.