Punjab Deputy Chief Minister S. Sukhbir Singh Badal today affirmed that Punjab is the safest and peaceful State in the country with negative crime rate during the last five years and NCRB had ranked Punjab as a State having one of the lowest incidences of crime against womenInteracting with the media here today Deputy Chief Minister said the maintaining of peace, communal harmony, law and order would continue to be the main agenda of the SAD-BJP government to keep Punjab a prosperous and peace-loving state. He said that miscreants responsible for creating terror would not be spared at any cost and to be put behind the bars. He added that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has always fought for protecting the interests of Punjabi’s and Sikhs and is their sole representative organization which has their welfare at heart.
Addressing a huge gathering regarding Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadur Shaheedi Jor Mel which would begin on 21st May from here and conclude on 29th May at Delhi he affirmed that the SAD-BJP government always accorded deep respect to every religion and as a part of its commitment towards welfare of all sans differences of caste, creed, race and religion, the Punjab government has made it a point to observe sacred days of all religions.Eulogizing the Punjabi’s and Sikhs for their qualities of head and heart, S. Badal said that Sikhs have carved out a niche for themselves all around the globe due to their large heartedness and bravery. He said that the fact that defence minister of Canada S. Harjit Singh Sajjan and several other members of prime minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet hails from Punjab and Sikh qaum, speaks volumes about their immense contribution towards development of that nation. He rued that such a brave community has branded as drug addicts by certain opposition parties who would be given a befitting reply by the electorates in next year’s assembly polls.
Listing the achievements of SAD rule, he said that the Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal has given priority to construction of memorials belonging to every religion as this is an article of faith with him. He also divulged that under the leadership of S. Badal, the state government has taken a number of initiatives to preserve the rich cultural heritage of state by constructing a number of memorials across the state at a cost of Rs. 1000 crore. He said the SAD-BJP government in consonance with this ideology had constructed state of art Virasat-e-Khalsa memorial, memorials of big and small holocaust in Kup Rahira and Kahnuwan respectively and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War memorial which would come up at a cost of Rs. 1000 crore. He also divulged that the state government would spend Rs. 100 crore for the 350th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Likewise, Mr. Badal said Jang-e-Azaadi memorial, War Heroes Memorial cum Museum, Bhagwan Valmiki ji memorial and Guru Ravidass Memorial were being constructed to showcase unparalleled role of Sikhs and Punjabis during the Sikh battles and national freedom struggle. Announcing more initiatives, S. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the Punjab Government would construct a memorial near Qutab Minar in Delhi at a cost of Rs. 25 crore. It is important to mention here that it is the same spot where Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadur was martyred in 1716 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar.He also disclosed that the respecting the religious sentiments of the people, the state government has prefixed word ‘Sri’ with the names of Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar, and Muktsar. He also announced that Punjab government would spend crores on beautifying those cities which were visited by or are closely connected with guru sahiban.
Touching the development plank, the deputy chief minister said that Rs. 1500 crore would be spent on giving facelift to Amritsar besides spending crores of Rupees at Sri Nandpur Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Sri Muktsar Sahib.Giving a clarion call to the people to ensure participation of younger generation in commemorating historic occasions of great martyrs, he said that with this ensured the youth would be more aware about the innumerable sacrifices the martyrs have made. Prominent among other Gurbachan Singh Babehali, Des Raj Dhugga both CPS, Ex- Ministers Nirmal Singh Kahlon and Sucha Singh Langah and senior leaders of the party were present on the occasion.