The Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal today lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and said that the leadership of AAP has bid goodbye to all the democratic norms which is evident from the way the tickets for 2017 assembly elections have been announced. Strongly taking on AAP, he said that this party has now resorted to the most abhorred way of selling tickets which needs condemnation by the whole civilized society. He also divulged that the volunteers and workers of AAP are saying it openly which should be taken note of by the common masses as an eye opener.Addressing a large gathering here on the occasion of distributing bicycles to the girl students under Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme, the Deputy Chief Minister Termed AAP as a rag-tag bunch of so called leaders assembled hastily from outside Punjab, and also said that these leaders are devoid of roots and do not have any standing amongst the common people whose cause it so loudly claims to champion. Attacking more, he said that AAP leaders have no inkling about the rich and glorious tradition of Punjab.
Lambasting AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Deputy Chief Minister labeled him as a person who doesn’t proves true to anything he says. The Deputy Chief Minister further said that kejriwal first backed Punjab farmers on SYL but the moment he got back to Delhi, he started supporting the cause of Haryana thus backstabbing Punjabi farmers. Branding kejriwal as a confrontationist, S. Badal said that the real agenda of AAP Convenor is to use Punjab as a platform to keep the pot of feud with center boiling forever. Accusing kejriwal of cheating Anna Hazare and going back on the oath of not joining politics, S. Badal said that such a person cannot be trusted.Castigating AAP and the Congress for carrying out a nefarious campaign to brand Punjabi youth as drug addicts, he said that both these parties would be shown their true place by the people in the 2017 assembly elections and these partners in crime of defaming Punjab would be relegated to the position of being remembered as historical footnotes. He also said that the main contest during 2017 polls would be between SAD-BJP and Congress while AAP is sure to be languishing at 3rd position. Making another disclosure, he said that Congress is the root cause of the SYL issue as Captain Amarinder Singh was present during the foundation laying of SYL at kapoori in 1982.
Calling SAD the oldest party representing the Punjabi community, S. Badal said that SAD knows fully well the problems and aspirations of the Punjabi people and has always raised voice against the injustices being done to the state. He also reiterated that the SAD party workers are totally devoted and united in the fight against the outsider forces.Coming to the development plank, S. Badal said that the Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal is a visionary and respected leader under whose capable leadership, Punjab is marching ahead in the developmental sector with promise to make Punjab a power surplus state fulfilled, 4 and 6 laned road network is being laid out, 100 percent sewerage and water supply is being provided to the towns at a cost of Rs. 4000 crore with Rs. 7000 crore for the development of rural sector plus other welfare centric measures like-------- 1.2 lakh power connection to farmers to be given very shortly , Health insurance to farmers, traders, construction of SC/BC memorials, portable water and most importantly power subsidy worth Rs. 6000 crore annually to the farming community in lieu of power subsidy.
The Deputy Chief Minister also announced to undertake the sangat darshan in Raikot very soon and disclosed that Rs. 21 crore are being spend on ensuring the overall progress of Raikot on developmental index.It is important to mention that S. Badal freely mingled with the workers leaving behind his Z plus security cover and the enthusiastic workers shot more than 100 selfies with him.Among others present on the occasion were Irrigation Minister Sharanjit Kaur Dhillon, MLAs Manpreet Singh iyali , S R Kler and Darshan Singh Shiwalik , Ex-MP Amrik Singh Aliwal, Advisor to the Chief Minister Maheshinder Singh Grewal, SGPC member Jagjit Singh Talwandi and SSF President and PSSSB member Gurcharan Singh Grewal.