Punjab Congress president and party nominee for Gurdaspur lok Sabha bypoll Sunil Jakhar on Friday that said that the SAD-BJP combine candidate Swaran Salaria should have come clean on the rape case against him at the time of filing his nomination papers.
Jakhar, talking to mediapersons between campaign rallies and meetings, said that the people would now take any decision after taking into consideration all such things, which were ripping apart Punjab’s cultural fabric.
“Those involved in such crimes would have to answer the people of Punjab, whose cultural ethos is being endangered by these kind of political leaders,” said Jakhar while exhorting the people to cast their votes judiciously, and not to elect such immoral people to any institution.
Jakhar lamented that as a result of the “shameful” videos that had gone viral in the past few days, people had started looking at all politicians with disdain.
Once again challenging Salaria for a debate, Jakhar, in a meeting of Bar Association, said that the SAD-BJP nominee was running away as he had no plans for the development of Gurdaspur, nor was he aware of the issues concerning the constituency. “let him come forward for a debate so that they (people) could judge for themselves who is most suited to represent them in the Parliament,” he said.
Accompanied by the State Technical Education and Industrial Training Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party MlAs, Jakhar said that instead of providing jobs to unemployed youth, the Modi Government was busy filling pockets of big industrialists while the country’s economy was being ruined.
“There had been a 26 per cent increase in the income of top industrialists of India. On the other hand, small businessmen and traders were extremely angry with the Prime Minister for hitting them with the GST missile,” he added.
Expressing concern over Punjab’s industrial situation, Jakhar stressed the need to revive old industries besides setting up new ones in order to revive the economy and generate employment.
SAD president Sukhbir Badal used to hold an NRI summit every year, ostensibly to woo investment, but far from getting investment, he would just end up spending money on the summit, the PPCC chief pointed out.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had already announced several measures for industrial revival in the state, he said.
Besides Rs 1,500 crore budget allocation, the Chief Minister had initiated steps for the elimination of transport mafia and frozen the power tariff, Jakhar said, adding that the new industrial policy would further pave the way for the revival of industry in the state.