Badal never learnt to rule, Amarinder

Kapurthala, May 10: Former chief minister and Deputy leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party Capt. Amarinder Singh today slammed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for non-governance and said despite the fact that he had come into power for the record fifth term, he never learnt to rule.

Addressing a conference near Sultanpur Lodhi organised by party MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, Capt Singh said centre was being ruled by the NDA with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister in which the Akali Dal was a partner. However, the farmers were facing the worst like never before. Wheat was not being procured in mandis and was rotting. Farmers had to wait for days. The state government failed to make timely preparation.

Significantly, the photo of state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa was missing from the posters put up at the venue.

He lambasted Badal for deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He referred to the molestation and death of Arshdeep who was pushed down a speeding Orbit bus near Moga along with her mother. What was at the root of the dispute was an amount of just Rs 20.

He questions the claims of the Badal government on development and asserted the state had not made any progress.

CLP leader Sunil Jakhar said it was Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who needed orientation course. He said Orbit bus had hit a farmer again today near Tapa mandi.

Jakhar was all praise for Amarinder saying he was the only party leader in the state who had sacrificed even his career. The reference was in the context of Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act adopted when Capt Amarinder Singh was the chief minister that had annoyed the party high command. It was this legislation which stopped the construction of SYL Canal, the carrier channel for Haryana.