Phillaur, March 26
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today challenged chief minister Bhagwant Mann to hold the 16,000 meetings proposed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the party’s expense and not at the cost of the State exchequer. “If you do not do this it will be clear that this initiative is motivated by corruption and not the welfare of Punjabis,” he said.
The SAD president was reacting to the AAP government’s decision to hold 16,000 rallies and Nukkad meetings to present their False report card to Punjabis after addressing a massive rally here along with party’s halka incharge Baldev Khaira.
Asserting that the AAP government was following the same modus operandi which it had pursued while holding rallies and placing advertisements earlier, Mr Sukhbir Badal said, “The plan is to pay excess government funds to vendors and take back 40 to 50 per cent as “commission”.
Asking people to compare this loot of the State’s treasury with the track record of the SAD, Badal said, “When we were in government we never held any rally on government expense. Presently the AAP government not only holds all rallies on government expense but also requisitions State transport buses to ferry the people to and fro from the rallies”.
Asserting that this open loot had crossed all limits, Badal said, “Now the chief minister is going to celebrate the birthday of his daughter at the Commissioner’s residence at Jalandhar which he has appropriated in a most lavish manner. Besides tentage and luxury catering, top singers will also be available to entertain the guests”.
Badal also spoke on how agencies were trying to weaken the SAD as well as Sikh religious institutions. He said the SGPC was broken under a planned conspiracy to create a separate Gurdwara committee for Haryana. He said similarly the management committees of Sri Hazur Sahib and Takht Sri Patna Sahib were taken over by the State governments. He said the agencies did not stop there. “These elements prevailed on the Jathedars to take action against me and were also responsible for trying to eliminate me while I was performing ‘sewa’ at Sri Darbar Sahib,” he added. Asserting he would never be intimidated by such acts, Badal said, “For me the pride and honour of the party and the Panth is foremost”.
Laying out his vision for Punjab, Badal said the next SAD government was committed to establishing food processing industries. He also announced that a World Skill University would be established which would skill one lakh youth every year and would have centres in each district. He also announced that all property in ‘Lal Dora’ of villages would be registered in the name of those who occupied it.
