Veteran Punjabi film actor Nirmal Rishi receives Padma Shri
Chandigarh, The Punjab Congress President, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today flayed the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for defending the decision to hike VAT on diesel by one per cent on the plea of mobilising funds for development and said this had conclusively proved that his government had been ditched by the NDA government at the centre on which he had very high hopes.
“All along, you have been misleading the people by alleging discrimination at the hands of the UPA government but now your own Narendra Modi government has refused to come to your rescue. The UPA government in general and the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh in particular never treated you so shabbily. He used to go to great lengths to help your government whenever you approached him with a bouquet of flowers”, he added.
He said more than the financial crisis which this government was facing and Mr Badal had refused to acknowledge, it was the squandering of money in programmes like sangat darshan which had wrecked the economy. He reiterated that at least five villages should be selected in each district for sample audit of the money thus spent as these grants lacked accountability.
He said this had also raised question marks about the alliance of the Akali Dal with the BJP and under such a situation, Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal had no moral right to continue as a minister in the cabinet of the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi. But then morality and ethics had no place in the politics of the Badal family.
He also took the Akali Dal General Secretary, Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal to task for unabashedly and unashamedly defending this decision of the Badal government to increase VAT on diesel. He reminded Mr Grewal to bring out the copy of the charge sheet he had released against Mr Badal at the time when Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra had launched the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal at Alamgir after the split in the party in 1999. He reminded Mr Grewal that time, he was a staunch critic of Mr Badal.
“Mr Grewal must tell the people whether that charge sheet was just concocted and whether he has now disowned Jathedar Tohra under whose tutelage had grown up in the political field. Even after he joined hands with Mr Badal, Jathedar Tohra had maintained his dignity. Mr Grewal is now competing with other leaders in showering praises on every action of Mr Badal. Is he mocking at himself or the people”, he asked.
Mr Bajwa said in case he wanted to go through what he had said at that time, he could lend him a copy of that charge sheet against Mr Badal.
