Punjab Congress president and Gurdaspur candidate Sunil Jakhar on Sunday declared that the law would take its course and every wrongdoing of the erstwhile Badal government would be punished.Addressing party workers after inaugurating an election office here for the forthcoming Lok Sabha by-election, Jakhar came down heavily on the previous SAD-BJP government for the spate of sacrilege incidents and rampant drugs menace that sought to destroy Punjab’s peace and stability.Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of surrendering before Sukhbir Badal on all issues during the Badal regime, Jakhar said the farmers did not get the price for their produce under the previous government. The PPCC president assailed Parkash Singh Badal for assailing the Chief Minister for waiving off farm loans upto Rs 2 lakh, after initially crying himself hoarse saying that Captain Amarinder Singh would not waive off the farmers’ loans.
Pointing out whenever the Badals went to the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre they got everything they wanted for Punjab, Jakhar said the Modi-led government had not delivered on any count in the interest of the people. The BJP government led by Modi was giving undue benefits to industrialists but was not ready to help out Punjab farmers, he added.Questioning why Sukhbir had failed to take up the issue of Langar GST waiver with the Prime Minister, Jakhar said the fact was that the Akali leader could not go to Narendra Modi for anything as the latter always asks him about the ED case file on Bikram Singh Majithia.Jakhar further lashed out at Sukhbir for giving away Rs 32000 crore of the state’s money to the Centre, describing it as a major fraud on the people of Punjab. He would take up the issue in Parliament and get the money back to the state, declared the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president.
Jakhar also criticised Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam for his uncalled for remarks that anyone would could afford a bike could pay for petrol too. These kind of statements reflect the anti-people sentiments of the BJP government at the Centre, he added.The Congress nominee also came down heavily on the central government order that the police should motivate people to do e-transactions, terming it as totally absurd. What has the police got to do with financial matters, he asked.Taking a dig at BJP candidate Swaran Salaria, Jakhar said unlike his opponent he would not open businesses in Gurdaspur but would serve the people and ensure the development of the region.Later, at Fatehgarh Churian, Jakhar said the Badals had looted Punjab with both hands. Contrary to their slogan `Raj Nahin Sewa’, the Badals only did service to their family and not to the people of Punjab, he added.