BRING BACK CONGRESS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PUNJAB: SHAKEEL AHMED
Sangrur, September 1: The AICC general Secretary Mr Shakeel Ahmed called upon the people of Punjab to restart the engine of development as the state party President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa urged the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi to rid the state of drug menace that had assumed alarming proportions as promised by him in the run up the Lok Sabha elections.
“You had inserted full page ad in the newspapers and as such, this promise was in black and white and not just one of your election ‘Jumlas’. At that time, the names of only the top Akali leaders had surfaced in this racket that is destroying the future of this state. Now the involvement of the people from your own party has been established. All these people have the patronage of one man and he is your party’s state unit chief Mr Kamal Sharma. In case you are really sincere about the implementation of at least this promise, you must sack Mr Sharma and then opt for court monitored CBI probe”, Bajwa added.
Addressing a historic Punjab Bachao Rally at Dana Mandi, Sangrur today organised by Sh. Surinder Pal Singh Sibia Vice President PPCC, Mr Ahmed reminded the people that it was during UPA rule that the state had been sanctioned highest ever development schemes while the Modi government was ignoring this once the most prosperous state that had suffered under the Akali Dal-BJP alliance government headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal. He said while the fortunes of the Badal family had multiplied exponentially, Punjab crisis had been deepening inversely.
He assured the people that it would be a united Congress with one face that would confront the corrupt and degenerate SAD-BJP regime in 2017.
Mr Bajwa reminded Mr Modi that even the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had taken up this issue from the stage when he had come to the function to celebrate 350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib. However, he did not take the next step of taking action after expressing his deep concern.
Lashing out at the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, he said the only achievement that this government could ‘boast of’ was debt and drugs.
He called upon the people to throw out the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in the 2017 Assembly elections to save the future of the youth and the state.
He lambasted the Badal government for ignoring the dalits and weaker sections saying the Akali Dal had failed to fulfil its promise of hike in old age and other pensions besides allocation under the shagun schemes. Even the all-important MNREGA scheme had not been impklemented in the entire state. He said what to talk of doubling the pensions, even the existing pensions were not being paid in time and the backlog was of several months.
Referring to the farm crisis, he called upon the Chief Minister to get loan waiver of Rs 51000 from the Modi government and pointed out that in base Bihar could be given spcial package of about Rs 1.75 lakh crore, there was no reason as to why the farmers in this food basket of the country should be discriminated against.
Mr Bajwa demanded immediate relief for the sugarcane farmers who were facing problems with the decision of the private mills against crushing sugarcane.
He said the cotton farmers whose crops had been damaged by white fly should be adequately compensated.
The Former Chief Minister Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal attacked Mr Badal and the Akali Dal for exploiting the Panth to seek votes and appealed to the people to throw out this repressive government. She lashed out at the Modi government for backtracking on every promise including implementation of Swaminathan Committee report and black money. She strongly opposed the move to dismantle the FCI.
The former state Congress chief Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo asserted it was the Congress that had come to the rescue of the people by wiping out terrorism and now the party would free them from the iron grip of the Badals. He said it was the Congress that had always cared for the dalits.
The Indian Youth Congress President Mr Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said Punjab was ready for change as every section of society was fed up. He said the only interest of Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was to promote his own business interests while the state was going deeper and deeper into crisis. He made comparison between the Congress vice-president Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mr Modi saying the former was a man of action while the Prime Minister had backtracked from all his promises. He said he wondered as to how a person with humble origin (Chaiwala) could afford Rs 15 lakh suit. He also cautioned the people from AAP.
The former MP Mr Vijay Inder Singla said Sangrur had seen no development and present MP Mr Bhagwant Mann was a failure. He said the Finance Minister Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa who also belongs to the district had done nothing for his home district.
Senior Congress MLA Sh. Brahm Mohindera MLA & Vice President PPCC, Sh. Ajit Inder Singh Mofar MLA also spoke on the occasion
Other who were present included Sh. Vikram Bajwa General Secretary PPCC Secretaries PPCC Sh. Gurwinder Singh Balli, Sh. Parmjit Singh Randhawa, Sh. Rajinder Deepa, Sh. Hardev Singh Rosha, Dr. Manjit Singh Saroya, Executive Members Sh. Ajaib Singh Rataul, Sh. Surinder Gupta, Mai Roop Kaur President DCC Sangrur, Sh. Gura Singh Tungawali President DCC Bathinda Rural, Sh. Paramjit Singh Mann President DCC Barnala, Sh. Sukhdev Singh Shabazpuri Ex Minister, Smt. Kanta Kuthiala, Principal Hardeep Singh Patti Chairman Retired Emp. & Pensioner Welfare Cell, S. Jagtar Singh Burj Chairman Rural Development Cell, Sh. Navdeep Singh Bhatti (Mokha) Chairman Sports & Culture Cell PPCC, Sh. Subash Grover Ex DCC President Sangrur, Sh. Kulvir Singh Zira Vice President Punjab Youth Congress, Sh. Dalvir Singh Goldy Secretary Punjab Youth Congress, Sh. Rahul Inder Singh Sidhu President Lok Sabha Youth Congress , Sh. Narpat Singh, Sh. Gurkirat Sidhu.