Baba Bakala/Amritsar/Chandigarh, August 29: The AICC general secretary Mr Shakeel Ahmed today lambasted the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi for being anti-people and anti-farmer, working only to protect the interests of a select few and specifically blamed him for the continued uncertainty confronting the Punjabi farmers settled in Gujarat for years who now faced eviction threat.
Addressing a huge political conference here organized by former MLA Jasbir Singh Gill Dimpa on Rakhra Punia here, Mr Ahmed asserted the Congress would form the government in Punjab in February 2017 Assembly elections saying the party was fully united. He said while the income of the ruling Badal family continued to rise exponentially, the people continued to land deeper and deeper into quagmire. He said the Badal family controlled cable, transport and several other businesses.
Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa President PPCC while addressing the conference sought mandate of the people on three issues by asking them to raise their hands which included CBI probe into drug scam, debt waiver for farmers and implementation of OROP. He alleged the involvement of the Revenue Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia in the drug racket. He called upon the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal to get Rs 51,000 loan waiver for the farmers from the Modi government. He said the decision to implement OROP was taken by the UPA government but the Modi government was implementing it. He lampooned the Bharatiya Janata Party as the Bhartiya Jumla Party.
Elaborating on the CBI probe, he said all out efforts were being made to protect Mr Majithia as evident from the statement made by ED investigating officer in drug case Mr Naranjan Singh. Only a CBI probe would unearth the deep rooted scam going on under political patronage.
He recalled the UPA government had come out with loan waiver and now Mr Badal should press his own Modi government at the centre to come to the rescue of the Punjab farmers. He said this would be a test case for the Chief Minister.
Regarding the OROP, he said the UPA government had taken the decision in principle and the modalities were being worked out when the government at the centre changed. He reminded Mr Modi that it was his promise to implement the same but now he had backtracked that amounted to cheating the ex-servicemen.
The former chief minister Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal targeted Mr Modi for failing on his promise to bring back black money and distribute the same among the common people as used to be his refrain in the run up to the Parliamentary elections. He said both jawan and kisan were the worst sufferers under the present dispensation. While the jawans were in the bear grip of drugs, the farmers were facing the worst ever crisis on all over country.
The Indian Youth Congress President Mr Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded Supreme Court monitored CBI probe into drug smuggling. He attacked Badals for looting Punjab. He made comparisons of the social welfare schemes like old age pension, shagun scheme etc between Punjab and Haryana and said Punjab was far behind the neighbouring state.
Cautioning the people, he said Mr Badal and his son and the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal were funding the Aam Aadmi Party as part of their strategy to weaken the Congress and called upon the people to remain al;ert to thwart such nefarious designs.
The senior party leader Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar, while calling upon the party men to stand united, hailed the struggle by the party in Parliament under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Rahul Gandhi on issues like the land acquisition bill.
Others who spoke included Mr Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa and Mr Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
Others who were present at conference were S. Sardool Singh Vice President PPCC, S. Ajit Inder Singh Mofar MLA, S. Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa General Secretary PPCC, Sh. Vikram Singh Bajwa General Secretary PPCC, S. Gurchet Singh Bhullar Ex-Minister, S. Sukhpal Singh Khaira Ex-MLA, Secretaries PPCC Sh. Anil Dutta, S. Paramjit Singh Randhawa, Sh. Rinku Narula, Sh. Rajan Gill, Sh. Gurpartap Singh Mann, Prof. Gurwinder Singh Mamanke, S. Inderjit Singh Randhawa, Sh. Rajiv Bhagat President Distt. Congress Committee Amritsar Urban, S. Harbhag Singh President DCC Ropar, Nimisha Mehta, Chairperson of the Social Welfare & Education, PPCC, Executive Members Sh. Gurminder Singh Rataul, Sh. Sukhdev Singh Shahbazouri, Sh. Balvinder Singh Laddi, Sh. Anoop Bhullar, S. Pinder Singh Sarli Secretary PPCC, Sh. Vijay Kumar Sathi Ex MLA, Sh. Gurdas Girdhar Ex President DCC Muktsar, Sh. Kulbir Singh Zira Vice President PYC, S. Deepinder Singh Randhawa Secretary PYC, Sh. Bhupinder Pal Singh Witti, Sh. Harjit Bajwa, Sh. Balwinder Nabha, S. Balkar Singh Bal Chairman Block Samiti Rayya, Sh. K.K. Sharma President Block Congress Committee Rayya, S. Jaswant Singh Patta, Chairman Market Committee Rayya, Sh. Varinder Singh Vicky Bhinder, S. Sawinder Singh Bhorsi Vice Chairman Block Samiti, Master Santokh Singh Cheema Member Block Samiti, S. Surta Singh Balemangal, S. Sarabjit Singh Sandhu, S. Bakhtawar Singh Bania, Sh. Raja Pulka, Sh. Sahib Singh Jarunangal, Sh. Seha Bhinder, Smt. Rajinder Kaur MC, Sh. Narinder Singh Torni, Sh. Jaimal Singh Bolewal, S. Balwant Singh Hero, Sh. Davinder Singh Hundal, Sh. Hari Singh Sarpanch Pheruman, Dr. Bitta Jallupur, Sh. Ranjit Singh Rumanachak, Sawinder Singh, Kashmir Singh Kala (Mehta), Rajinder Singh Tapiala, Santokh Singh Bhalipur, Amrik Singh Sarpanch Kartarpur, Gursharan Singh Ladi Niranjanpur, Rani Cheema Sarpanch, Jagtar Singh Khilchian, Balwinder Singh Khilchian, Gurwinder Singh Nangli Sarpanch, Gurmeet Singh Nangli, Nirmal Singh Sarpanch, Kashmir Singh, Gurdeep Singh MC, Robin Singh MC, Gurmail Singh Cheema, Sanjeev Bhandari, Karam Singh Khokhia, Sarabjit Singh Ex-Sarpanch, Harjinder Singh Rampur, Bhagwan Singh Sambar, Jagir Singh Sarli, Pakhar Singh Chachian, Harjit Singh Mahirampur, Ravinder Singh Hundal, Subedar Makhan Singh.