Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said that serving the poor was the Congress dharma and it had been doing it right since the country’s independence. He said, keeping with the same spirit the party had brought in Food Security Act which will enable the poor across the country to get aata for Re one per kg. He also expressed grave concern over the suicides by farmers as the agriculture had failed to get them remunerative returns.
Addressing an impressive public rally in the Ram Lila Grounds in support of the party candidate Joginder Singh Panjgraian, here today, Capt Amarinder asked the Akalis to list out what was their own agenda. He disclosed that even for the aata-daal scheme, which the Akalis have been trumpeting to be their own, the wheat and grants were being provided by the government of India.
Lashing out at the Akalis for spreading out lies and misleading people by saying that the Congress will stop all the welfare schemes, he asked, “why should we and it is our government which is providing support to and sustaining their welfare schemes and when we can support them why should we stop these ourselves”.
Asking people not to get misled by the Akali propaganda, he told them to draw comparison between the Congress rule between 2002 and 2007 with that of the Akalis between 2007 and 2012. “You will see for yourself as which government was better”, he told them while seeking votes for the local candidate Panjgraina.
Having a dig at Akalis’ manifesto which they released today, he said, they are promising to save the riparian rights of Punjab over its river waters. “They have probably forgotten that we have already enacted an act repealing all the water sharing treaties and saving our waters way back in 2005”, he pointed out amidst a thunderous applause.
Capt Amarinder asked Akalis, particularly the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as what he had done for the farmers. He said, the farmers were feeling so distressed and upset that quite a number of them had committed suicide after having failed to repay their loans or feed their families. “It is a tragedy that our self respecting farmers who have fed the country are finding it difficult to fulfill the needs of their family and ultimately they commit suicide”, he regretted.
Appealing people to vote for Congress, he said, Punjab today needs industrial investment which will generate jobs. He pointed out there are 47 lakh unemployed people in the state and they need to be given jobs. Besides, he said, agriculture pattern needs to be changed and new and remunerative crops need to be sown.”It is not about someone losing or someone winning, it is the future of Punjab that is at stake and unless and until Congress does not come to power Punjab’s future will continue to be at stake.
Asking people to vote and support Joginder Panjgraian he promised to accommodate him in the government if they make him win the elections.