National Secretary BJP Kisan Morcha and Prabhari Himachal Pradesh Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal and BJP workers at Bhukhari Kalan, Ludhiana today, Wednesday celebrated the 89th birthday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as National Development Day and urged President Pranab Mukherjee to confer the former prime minister with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. He said that he was the only political stalwart with undisputed credentials of secularism. Talking with the media persons, Grewal said that after cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and noted scientist C N R Rao were named for the country's highest civilian honour, he said that the Centre must confer the country's highest civilian award on Atal Bihari Vajpayee as he was the most deserving incumbent for this honour.
Grewal said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an able administrator, a true statesman and above all the only political stalwart with undisputed credentials of secularism. In these day's back Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and National Conference leader Union Minister Faroq Abdullah had also demanded the honour for Vajpayee. Grewal today also alleged the state Congress leaders, out of sheer frustration, were carrying on false propaganda against the SAD-BJP government and asked people to be beware of their designs. He said that the Punjab state Congress leadership was bereft of any issue and was criticising the state government on trivial matters just to gain publicity in the media. Grewal alleged the Congress leaders had unleashed false propaganda against their SAD-BJP Government and were even indulging in mud-slinging. He also asked the masses to be beware of their nefarious designs. Grewal said the people of Punjab should do so some soul searching before exercising their franchise in upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state. Grewal said the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre had failed to deliver goods and the common man was feeling disenchanted. He said that the sky rocketing prices coupled with widespread graft and maladministration had broken the back of the common man. Grewal dubbed the UPA regime as the most inefficient and corrupt. He said that it's clear that Punjab could get more funds and big projects only if a BJP led NDA Government was installed at the Centre, he said and asked the people to oust the UPA dispensation. Grewal alleged that at present Punjab is getting step-motherly treatment from the Centre UPA Government.