Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
CHANDIGARH/ MUKTSAR, May 16: Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh today said that the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal after having completely failed on the economic and law and order front has now fallen back on panthic agenda. “The choice is between the economic progress and development on one side and the panthic agenda on the other”, Capt Amarinder said while addressing a well attended workers meeting here today.
The former Chief Minister challenged Mr Badal to list one single achievement he could claim the credit for. “Be it the wheat procurement, he (Mr Badal) has failed. Be it law and order, he has failed. Be it economy, he has failed. Be it industry, he has failed. Be it agriculture, he has failed”, he said while listing Mr Badal’s failures and advising him that he should better retire as he had lost the power to think. He said, the only thing he had succeeded at was amassing personal wealth and fortune.
The Congress leader asked as what happened to Rs 2200 crores provided by the government of India for water logging in the area. “Where did that money go?” he asked, saying it must have been diverted to somewhere else to fascinate Mr Badal’s whims and fancies like Sangat Darshan.
He said, similarly there is no trace of Rs 14640 crores cash credit limit sanctioned and released by the Reserve Bank of India for the procurement of wheat. “The amount was sanctioned on April 1and the farmers are yet to get the payment although 46 days have already passed”, he revealed, while recalling that during his (Capt Amarinder’s) Chief Ministership the farmers would get the payment for their crops within 24 hours.
Capt Amarinder also asked the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal as where was the surplus power he had been crying hoarse about all these years. He pointed out how the junior Badal would boast about exporting power to Pakistan. “Ask the farmers, the industrialists and common people and they will tell you the duration of scheduled and unscheduled power cuts they are subjected to, before you try to sell them the lies of exporting power to Pakistan”, he told the Deputy CM, while reminding people how he ensured 8 hour regular and uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector during his tenure as the CM.
Referring to the grim industrial scenario in the state, he said, most of the leading industrial houses like Hero Cycles and Trident group were either planning to move out or where expanding in other states after limiting their operations here, as they did not get any facility in Punjab. He said, this has further complicated the problem of unemployment and revenue generation in the state.
Later in an informal conversation with the reporters, Capt Amarinder asserted that there was not even an iota of doubt about the Congress forming next government in Punjab with a thumping majority. He dismissed the assumptions that there was any factionalism in the party in the state saying difference of opinion among the leaders does not mean factionalism. He said, while the Akali-BJP alliance was totally discredited, the AAP was too insignificant and inconsequential in the political scheme of things in Punjab.
Speaking on the occasion, the Congress Legislative Party leader Sunil Jakhar lashed out at both the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister Badal for failing the country and the state, particularly the farmers. He said, nobody seemed to be bothered about the plight and distress of farmers. He questioned Mr Badal’s motives and timing in organising the religious yatra particularly when the state was faced with economic and law and order crisis.
Among others present on the occasion included, CLP leader Sunil Jakhar, Ms Karan Kaur Brar, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Joginder Singh Panjgraian, Gur Iqbal Kaur, Mohammad Sadiq, Ms Harchand Kaur, ML Rinwa, Jagbir Singh Brar, Sonu Dhesi, Bhai Kukku, Gurpreet Kangar, Harpreet Hero, Kikki Dhillon, Hira Sodhi, Ravi Grewal, Surjit Dhiman, Nathuram, Makhan Singh, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Ajaib Singh Rataul, Giriraj Rajoura, Narinder Bhuleria, Gurjeet Aujla, Avtar Singh, Jagdeep Sidhu and others.
