Gidderbaha, May 22
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today appealed to Punjabis to support the party in the municipal elections, asserting Delhi based parties had destroyed Punjab and that the SAD alone could lead Punjab back into an era of progress and prosperity.
The SAD president, who addressed public gatherings at the residence of late legislator Raghbir Singh Pradhan and at party office near Husnar chowk in the town, said “the Aam Aadmi Party has failed you on all fronts and is on the way out. People are harking back to the time of the governments of the SAD during which Punjab witnessed unprecedented development and complete peace and communal harmony. Today people in the cities are witnessing how all civic infrastructure is crumbling before their eyes. Nothing has been done to augment the road, sewerage and lighting facilities which were laid down during the SAD tenure. In fact these facilities are not even being maintained”.
Badal said people were also witnessing complete lawlessness with snatching, robberies and extortions becoming the norm of the day. “In such a situation there is a growing consensus that a regional party like the SAD alone can provide a government which answers the aspirations of Punjabis. I appeal to you to make the SAD victorious in the municipal elections to set the tone for the party’s victory in the forthcoming parliamentary elections,” he added.
Reacting to the callous manner in which the AAP government was treating government employees, Badal said, “This government is not releasing Dearness Allowance to employees and pensioners despite clear cut directions of the courts”. He said the AAP government has reneged on all promises made to employees be it releasing DA arrears to them or restarting the Old Pension Scheme. “The employees are being denied their genuine dues even as thousands of crores are being spent on advertisements, publicity gimmicks and sustaining luxuries of Arvind Kejriwal like hiring chartered aeroplanes on a regular basis”.
The SAD president said in stark contrast former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had not only instituted all Pay Commissions in the State but had also implemented them after removing all anomalies as pointed out by employee unions. “Our government increased salaries and Dearness Allowance to ensure our employees were the most highly paid in the country. Today employees are being forced to hold protests because the AAP government is refusing to release their dues. I appeal to them to support the SAD. We are committed to resolving all your grievances”, he added.
