Ferozepur/Chandigarh, February 24
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal today announced that the forthcoming SAD government would end the scourge of gangsters and drug traffickers by declaring them as terrorists and dealing with them using the full force of the law.
The SAD president was addressing a huge rally in Ferozepur Rural constituency as part of the party’s Punjab Bachao campaign. Congratulating halka incharge Joginder Singh Jindu for the record show he said it had also made it clear that Punjabis were fed up of all Delhi based parties, did not want to experiment anymore and had decided to form a government solely of the SAD in the State.
Badal said gangsters and drug lords were holding Punjab to ransom and the Aam Aadmi Party government and chief minister Bhagwant Mann had failed to rein in these anti-social elements. “I feel the time has come to bring in legislation to deal with this twin menace. Accordingly once a SAD government is formed we will bring in legislation to deny bail to gangsters and drug lords besides seizing their properties. I advise them to leave Punjab or be ready to face complete eradication under the law”.
Asserting that the chief minister was even indulging in flip-flops on the sensitive issue of killing of two police personnel on the international border with Pakistan, Badal said, “First the government was clueless about the death of one ASI and a head constable at the Adhian check post in Gurdaspur. Then the chief minister lauded their supreme sacrifice and announced Rs 1 crore ex-gratia grant to their families. Now he is claiming that the two officers could have died following a scuffle between themselves. This kind of mis-governance is symptomatic of the AAP government with the chief minister busy in Gujarat serving Arvind Kejriwal instead of the people of Punjab”.
The SAD president also condemned the AAP government for indulging in thuggery by launching the ‘Punjab Rasoi’ scheme after selling government land at throwaway prices. He said after not implementing this scheme for four years, the AAP government was using it as a desperate gambit to influence Punjabis in the run up to the 2027 assembly elections. “Suck gimmicks cannot save AAP’s sinking ship”, he asserted.
Badal also spoke about his vision for Punjab covering all sections of society. He also announced that the SAD was committed to removing all discriminations done unto government employees by the previous Congress and the present Aam Aadmi Party governments, including restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for employees.
Speaking about the farmers, Badal said tubewell connections would be given to all those who do not have one within one week of the formation of the next SAD government. He also announced establishment of ‘pucca bundhs’ on rivers to deal with floods, assured grant of land rights to those who had been denied this right till now and free partition of joint ownership of land.
Stating how the Congress and AAP had first reduced and were now denying social welfare benefits to the underprivileged, Badal said, “We are committed to augmenting all social welfare schemes which were started by Parkash Singh Badal besides creating more new schemes for the weaker sections”. Badal also announced that the World Kabaddi Cup would be restarted and a New Kushti Cup would also be initiated. “Pashu Melas will be encouraged even while a Race Course would be constructed for Marwari horses besides encouraging Kabootaran di baazi sport,” he said, while adding that an inter village card game Seep championship would also be started with prize money for development of villages of winning teams.
