Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday announced that the Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party’s main issue of contesting the forthcoming assembly elections would be peace, harmony and the unprecedented development it has heralded in the State.
Badal, addressing people during his sangat darshan programs, said that `12,000 crore projects have been started in the State, which will be completed before the given time frame.
“Projects worth `6000 crore each have been started in cities and villages to provide basic amenities to the people of Punjab. These projects will suffice the needs of drinking water, sewerage, roads, street lights etc of the people,” he said.
“Peace, harmony and development have always been priorities of the SAD-BJP Government and the same will be main agenda this election. Development cannot be ushered in without brotherhood and this is the reason behind both the agendas being priorities,” he said.
Badal added that some anti-Punjab forces were trying to disrupt the hard-earned peace of State but will never succeed in these nefarious designs.
Taking up the issue of SYl, Badal said that Congress has always tried to take away rights of water from Punjab. “Haryana, Rajasthan and other States do not have any right over the waters of Punjab but the Congress has illegally given Punjab’s water to these States,” he said.
Condemning the stand of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on SYl issue, Badal said that Delhi Government’s new affidavit in the Supreme Court is merely a political stunt and Kejriwal’s anti-Punjab stance was reflected in first affidavit itself.
“In this, Kejriwal has termed Punjab’s stand on SYl as unconstitutional and anti-nation and Kejriwal had stated that this action will lead to breaking of nation. Kejriwal belongs to Haryana and it is natural for him to have soft corner for his State and that’s why it would not be wise to expect him of taking Punjab’s side,” he said.
Badal said that Congress and AAP were both enemies of Punjab’s peace and prosperity and are charting plans to rob waters of Punjab.
Calling upon the people of Punjab to be ready to safeguard waters of State, he said that plans were being made to turn Punjab into desert.