Terming that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not even aware of the basics of state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo could neither differentiate between wheat and paddy crop nor among anti-Punjab Congress and pro - Punjab Shiromani Akali Dal.Interacting with the media persons on sidelines of Sangat Darshan program in Raikot assembly segment here today, the Chief Minister said that Kejriwal's repeated utterances regarding a compromise between SAD and Congress reflects that he not only has scant knowledge about Punjab's geology and topography but also about state's polity. He said that every Punjabi knows that Congress was sworn enemy of Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) adding that any compromise with Congress was unimaginable. Mr. Badal said that Congress party was solely responsible for ruining the state by meddling in its social, economic, political and even religious affairs and no Punjabi could ever forgive it for these sins.
The Chief Minister said that while it was on record that Akali leadership was put behind the bars by successive Congress governments, everyone also knows that Mr. Kejriwal became Chief Minister of Delhi first time by taking support from Congress. He said that Mr. Kejriwal was just trying to mislead the people by making such frivolous statements. However, Mr. Badal said that wise people of state would not get swayed away by tantrums of Delhi Chief Minister as they know well that Congress and AAP were two sides of same coin.Replying to another query, the Chief Minister said that the demonetization move of the BJP led NDA government at the Centre was in the larger interest of the country. He said that the policy was aimed at giving long term benefit to people by eliminating parallel economy propelled by the black money in the country. Mr. Badal said that any good step does have initial problems but in the longer run country would be immensely benefitted by this visionary step taken by the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.
Earlier, addressing the gatherings during Sangat Darshan in village Sudhar, Halwara, Barhundi and Raikot, the Chief Minister the Chief Minister said leadership of both Congress and AAP was just raising ‘hollow slogans and false promises’ with a single aim of assuming political power in the state. He said that both these parties were trying to mislead the people of state by unleashing malicious propaganda. Mr. Badal said that both Congress and AAP were vary of the interests of state and were least bothered about the interests of its people. Slamming the Congress party for its anti-Punjab stance, the Chief Minister said that the Congress was inimical to the state from day one as it denied Punjab of its legitimate territorial rights in terms of its Capital, share in river water besides attacking on Sri Durbar Sahib thereby hurting the religious sentiments of the Punjabis in general and Sikh community in particular. Likewise, he said that the Sikhs could never forgive the Congress for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in which thousands of innocent Sikhs were brutally killed.
The Chief Minister further said that like the Congress party, AAP was also suffering from the anti-Punjab syndrome which has been exposed by the policies pursued by it in Delhi. Citing the examples, he said that AAP government in Delhi discontinued teaching of Punjabi language in schools, didn't observed a holiday on sacred Baisakhi festival, demolished the piau outside Gurdwara Sisganjh Sahib and above all have submitted an affidavit against the state in Apex court on SYL issue. Mr Badal said that disguised in robe of Aam Aadmi (common man), these people were working overtime against the interests of the state.In their Speaker of Punjab Assembly Dr. Charanjit Singh Atwal and former MLA Mr. Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal welcomed the Chief Minister in Raikot assembly segment. They also hailed Mr. Badal for generously disbursing grants in the assembly segment to give boost to its overall development. In the morning the Chief Minister also laid the foundation stones of Ambedkar Bhawan at village Sudhar and Canal bridge at village Tugal.Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included former MLA Mr. Ranjit Singh Talwandi, Joint Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Kumar Amit, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mr. SK Kalia, Deputy Commissioner Mr. Ravi Bhagat, Chief Administrator GLADA Mrs. Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar and Senior Superintendent of Police Mr. Upinderjit Singh Ghuman.