CM Pays Glorious Tributes To Baba Sheikh Farid

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5 Dariya News

Faridkot , 22 Sep 2012

Punjab Chief Minister  Parkash Singh Badal today said that the anti-people decisions taken by the UPA led Congress government recklessly has created an atmosphere of political uncertainty and mistrust amongst its allies leading to a volatile situation heading towards mid-term elections in the country. Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of the 27th Baba Farid Rural Sport Festival here at Nehru Stadium organised by the Faridkot District Cultural Society on the commemoration of the Aagman Purb of Baba Sheikh Farid - one of the greatest spiritual ambassadors, poet prophet and founder of ‘Sufi’ tradition in India,  Badal said that the Shiromani Akali Dal being a constituent of National Democratic Alliance was ever ready to face the mid-term polls at any time.  He said that the days of the Congress regime at Center were numbered as the irrational and arbitrary decisions of UPA allowing the FDI in the retail sector would have a cascading effect on the Indian economy.   Badal said: “Since India is a developing country and therefore it should not blindly follow the developed countries like USA while taking such crucial decisions on the issues like FDI in haste and without realizing its ramifications which could enormously harm the Indian economy rather putting it on the stronghold”.  Allying fears,  Badal said that FDI would out rightly vanish the small shopkeepers and petty traders because such policies were deliberately framed to the advantage of multi-national companies and global corporate houses thereby ignoring the interests of the common man (aam admi), whom the UPA government considered to be his votary.   He blamed the Congress for its ill-conceived policies resulting in uncontrollable inflation, unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, starvation and above all the rampant corruption involving its top leadership in scam after scam due to which the UPA government has lost the confidence and trust of countrymen and it has no moral right to rule anymore. Lambasting at Center, the Chief Minister reiterated that it should redefine the central-state relations in the context of true federal structure because the deliberate attempts on the part of GoI to dilute its character to unitary form by usurping the states’ power was against the very spirit of constitutional norms and democratic values.  He said that heavy dependence of states on Center in getting their petty demands like sanctioning of drinking water and link roads schemes etc. have to look upon Center as beggars, adding that such tough posture adopted by Center was not encouraging and must be condemned by one and all. Paying glowing tributes to Baba Sheikh Farid, the Chief Minister said that Baba Farid ji was the father of Punjabi poetry and his philosophy of humanism and spirituality based on the principles of love, compassion, equality, humility, brotherhood and freedom reigned supreme and was all pervasive.   Badal mentioned that Baba Sheikh Farid’s Bani of 112 shaloks and 4 Shabads had been incorporated in Sri Guru Granth Sahib by Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji.  He said that Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji is a cosmopolitan holy scripture of all faiths, when we bow our head in reverence before Sri Guru Granth Sahib, we pay respects to Baba Farid along with great Gurus with same devotion.  In his address after declaring the rural sport festival open,  Badal said that the SAD-BJP government has restored the lost glory to our mother sport Kabaddi by popularizing it at the international arena.  He said that Third World Kabaddi Olympic was being held in Punjab during December in which the teams winning the first, second and third positions would be given a cash prize of 2 crore, 1 crore and 51 lakh respectively.  Responding to the demand of the local residents of Faridkot,  Badal assured them that he would look into the possibility to accord heritage status to the historic city of Faridkot to promote the cultural and ethnic significance of Baba Sheikh Farid’s legacy in far more emphatic manner. On the occasion,  Badal also released a colourful souvenir of the Faridkot District Cultural Society.  Excellent performance of the martial art Gatka, motor cycle stunts by the PAP & BSF, superb camel and horse dance besides the folk cultural program regaled the audience. Earlier, the Chief Minister accompanied by the Member Parliament from Faridkot Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and MLA  Deep Malhotra paid obeisance at Gurdwara Tilla Baba Sheikh Farid where he was presented a  robe of honour (Siropa) by  Inderjit Singh Khalsa. Later, the Chief Minister inaugurated the new building complex of Guru Gobind Medical College constructed at a cost of Rs.45 crore.  He also laid the foundation stone of Rs.6 crore Drug De-addiction and Treatment in the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, besides giving financial assistance of Rs.1 lakh from Chief Minister’s Cancer Relief Fund to nine patients afflicted with Cancer to meet out their expenditure on medicines.  It may be recalled that the Punjab government was already providing free treatment to the cancer patients in the state.