Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 1: People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal today questioned Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah about the basis of his party alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal which had not benefitted the state in any way and on any issue.
“Shah should be frank enough to tell the people as to whether this alliance is with the Akali Dal or the Badal family as the Narendra Modi government, while fully protecting the family interests, has ditched this sensitive state on all other issues. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has gone to the extent of hoping that Modi would turn out to be the Saviour of pride and dignity of the Khalsa Panth. However, everyone in the state fully understands as to with what this pride and dignity of the Khalsa Panth has been bartered away”, he added.
He reminded Shah of his serious concern at one time about the drug menace as at stake was the future of this state. The future is closely linked to the younger generation. However, he said, the BJP suddenly backtracked from launching campaign against drugs from Amritsar and none in the party was now talking about it. The party called for sack of a powerful minister whose name had surfaced during investigation in drug racket but the party backed out. He lambasted Shah and the BJP for cheating the people of Punjab by resorting to such double speak.
He called upon Shah to clarify his party stand on menace of drugs, corruption in administration and non-governance as his party was an equal partner and must share the blame the damage that has been done to the socio-economic fibre of the state.
He pointed out that the state was bankrupt with high incidence of debt but the rulers believed in splurging money on personal comforts like helicopters despite the fact that one could travel to any part of the state and return home by evening, such was the small size. Similarly, both Chief Minister Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal moved around with the biggest fleet of security vehicles in the country. Was the BJP conniving this unproductive and wasteful expenditure that amounted to criminal misuse of the state resources for personal comforts?
He expressed the apprehension that the BJP, which used to talk of value based politics at one time, had now sacrificed the ideals at the altar of real politic. BJP needed the support of a minority as a show piece and the Akali Dal leadership was too willing to function as the instrument so long as the family interests continued to be protected.
He also called upon Shah to clarify the people as to why his party had changed its stand on land acquisition legislation after coming into power as it had supported the 2013 pro-farmer legislation enacted by the UPA government. He referred to the worst ever plight of the farmers in the Punjab this procurement season and said the Modi government had failed to bail out the farmers.
Lastly, he also questioned as to why he had abandoned his agenda of drugs which he was to take up at a meeting with the party leaders during his two day visit.
Manpreet said it was the law of the jungle in the state with the ruling party leaders patronising anti-social elements that had been proved time and again, with the molestation and death of a young girl involving the staff of the bus of the transport company owned by the Badal family. What was shocking that Union food Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal feigned ignorance about the owner of the Orbit Transport, her family business, he added.
