Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today described the massive verdict in favour of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Khadoor Sahib By-election as a referendum for the 2017 assembly polls in the state.Addressing a public gathering to kick start to enhanced pension scheme here in the precincts of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial, the Chief Minister categorically said that the opposition parties had deliberately boycotted this by-poll apprehending their crushing defeat at the hands of SAD and now the Congress leadership was terming the outcome of Khadoor Sahib by-election as insignificant and inconsequential. On the contrary, he said that it was crystal clear that the unprecedented mandate in favour of SAD candidate has set the futuristic agenda in motion that the SAD-BJP alliance was all set to form its government for third consecutive term. Mr. Badal said that the alliance would contest the forthcoming polls exclusively on the plank of peace, communal harmony, brotherhood and development to give a befitting reply to the divisive, anti-Punjab and anti-people forces, which were hell bent upon to destroy the social fabric in the state.
The Chief Minister further said the SAD-BJP alliance government has taken path breaking initiatives for ensuring the welfare of the weaker sections of the society. Mr. Badal said that it was on record that every welfare scheme in the state has been started only during the tenure of SAD-BJP alliance. He said that the SAD-BJP government was the only government in the country which had initiated Atta-Dal Scheme, Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme, Shagun Scheme and others for well being of the downtrodden and weaker sections of the society. Mr. Badal said that even the various centre governments had also replicated many such schemes, realising their merit. He said that the state government’s recent initiative to double the social security pensions was also a right step in this direction.Lashing out at the Congress party, the Chief Minister, while squarely blaming it for meting out step motherly treatment to the state, said that the Industry and Agriculture of Punjab was ruined due to regressive policies of the Congress party during its more than six decade long rule in the country. He said that the Congress had never given any big ticket industrial project to the state during their rule and had rather thwarted the attempt of industrialization in the state by giving incentives to the neighbouring states. “The Punjabis could never forgive the Congress party as it has irrelevantly meddled in their social, political, economic and even the religious affairs” added Mr. Badal.
Taking the Congress party to the cudgels, the Chief Minister reminded the people that this party has done lot of injustice with the state by snatching its capital, legitimate share in river waters and Punjabi speaking areas. He said that the Congress party had inflicted a deep wound on Sikh psyche by attacking the Golden Temple and by killing thousands of innocent Sikhs during 1984 Sikh carnage. Mr. Badal said that Congress had ruined the economy of state by meting out step motherly treatment to Punjab.Apprising the people about ‘Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Scheme’ for providing free pilgrimage to sacred cities of Sri Nanded Sahib, Varanasi, Katra (Mata Vaishno Devi) and Ajmer Sharif, the Chief Minister said that under this scheme the state government was organizing free trains to these cities for the people from Punjab and also provide other logistic facilities to pilgrims. Mr. Badal said that Punjab was the only state in the country to take this first of its kind initiative to facilitate the people for undertaking pilgrimage to these holy places.
Terming the SAD-BJP alliance government as a pro-farmer regime, the Chief Minister said that the state government has always extended a helping hand to the farmers whenever they had faced any sort of crisis. Citing the examples, he said that the state government was providing free power to the tune of Rs 5000 every year to the farmers otherwise their problems would have accentuated manifolds on account of tube well bills.The Chief Minister also announced that in a major step aimed at providing world class civic amenities to residents of the cities across the state, the Punjab government has embarked a major scheme providing the facility of water supply, sewerage, Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs), Streetlights, Roads and parks in all the 165 towns by the end of 2016 at a cost of Rs 6500 crore. He said that a major thrust would be given to the development of all these towns by ensuring world class civic amenities in them adding that the focus would be to refurbish the cities with the state-of-the art facilities so that the residents could be benefitted from it on one hand and giving impetus to the overall development of the state on the other.
Likewise, the Chief Minster said that the state government was committed for perpetuating the rich cultural heritage in the state. He said that work on memorials of Bhagwan Valmiki (Bhagwan Valmik Tirath Sthal Amritsar), state-of-the-art War Heroes' Memorial-cum-Museum at Amritsar and Jang-e-Azaadi memorial at Kartarpur was going on in full swing and would be completed soon.The Chief Minister said that the state joined the premier league of few states of country to have two international airports with the commissioning of International Airport at Mohali. He further said that this airport would act as a catalyst of economic growth in the region in coming times. Mr. Badal also said that due to untiring efforts of the state government Punjab was today, the only ‘Power surplus’ state in the country.Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Lok Sabha MP Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. NK Sharma, former MLA Jathedar Ujaagar Singh Wadali, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu and Deputy Commissioner Mr. DS Mangat.