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Chandigarh, The Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Mr Charanjit Singh Channi has called for intervention by the Election Commission to stop the birthday bash of Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal being organised at the cost of the state government on December 8 near Moga.
Mr Channi said the birthday celebrations were being organized under the garb of the ‘Pani Bachao, Punjab Bachao’ to oppose the construction of the Satluj-Yamuna link canal. He pointed out that going by the earlier announcement, it was only a birthday rally. It was after the Supreme Court verdict on SYL link Canal that it was converted into ‘Pani Bachao’ conference.
“We wish Mr Badal lives for many more years. The Congress would have no objection to Mr Badal organizing this day as a mega event at his cost or that of the Akali Dal. However, this is being done at the cost of public exchequer that is highly objectionable. Moreover, it is a political function of the Akali Dal that is being organized at government expenditure. It is precisely for this reason that the Congress demands the intervention by the Election Commission to stop this criminal wastage”, he said.
He said there was another very intriguing aspect in the context of demonitisation going by the video-recording of Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal of a meeting of the party workers that he addressed in Bathinda to mobilise his party workers for this rally.
The Deputy Chief Minister talked of the elaborate arrangements that had been made at the marriage palaces in the Moga area for the night stay. He informed his party men that the arrangements included dinner, breakfast and lunch. He advised his party activists to Bathinda to leave in the evening itself not to be late in the morning as they would be properly care for.
Mr Channi said on the one hand, there were long queues of common people in front of the banks all over the country. Reports had appeared about villagers in Punjab spending the nights in front of the banks and people had no money to buy even medicines. The situation was worsening every day rather than improving.
He said the Congress would like to know not only from Mr Sukhbir Badal but also from the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi as to from was all this money coming as this rally might cost crores even after leaving apart the government expenditure.
