Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today said that due to its anti-people policies and anti-Punjab stance the Congress party has been decimated from the political scene of the state.Addressing the mammoth public gathering in a conference to mark the occasion of Hola Mohalla here today, the Chief Minister said that the people of Punjab have shown the door to the Congress leaders due to their dubious track record of remaining the mute spectator of the grave injustice with state. He said that it was a matter of record that the Congress party has never staged its comeback in any state in which it has been routed out from power. Citing the example of Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and others Mr Badal said that the Congress would meet the same fate in Punjab also.
Reiterating that Congress has always adopted an apathetic attitude towards the state, the Chief Minister said that a testimony to it was that the Congress led UPA government has ruined the industry and agriculture of state by enacting anti Punjab policies. Mr Badal lamented that the single point agenda of the UPA government was to ruin the farmers of the state, notwithstanding their enormous contribution in making our country self sufficient in food production. Coming down heavily on the UPA government, he said that the Union government was intriguing to bring our state at the brink of economic disaster through its anti- Punjab stance and discriminating policies, as a result of which the farmers of state were burdened with a heavy debt of Rs 32,000 crore.Mr Badal said that by exorbitant hike in prices of fertilizers and other agricultural inputs like diesel, the Union government had broken the back of the farmers, rendering them at the mercy of the Centre. He said that the union government has always meted out a step motherly treatment with the state by irrelevantly meddling in its social, political, economic and even religious affairs. He further bemoaned that centre’s allocation of merely Rs 500 crore for Green Revolution states primarily Punjab was just a peanut to undertake massive crop persification program to pull out its beleaguered peasantry from the rut of wheat/paddy rotation.
Reiterating his stand on setting up of a genuinely federal structure in the country, the Chief Minister said that the sole reason for the fiscal mess in many states across the country was the excessive centralization of powers by the UPA government. He said that true Federal structure was the need of the hour to ensure balanced regional growth in the entire country. Mr Badal said that the successive Congress-led government at the Center had been constantly usurping the powers of the state governments thereby reducing them to beggars who have to seek funds from the Union government to ensure development in the states.The Chief Minister said that the centre should redefine the central-state relations in the context of true federal structure because the deliberate attempts on the part of Government of India (GoI) to dilute its character to unitary form by usurping the states’ power was against the very spirit of constitutional norms and democratic values. Mr Badal further said that unfortunately rather than helping the states the Union government has usurped the rights of the states thereby rendering them to the status of dignified Municipal Committees.
Training his guns against the UPA government, the Chief Minister reiterated that it has broken the back bone of a common man by increasing the prices of essential commodities during their entire tenure. Mr Badal said that the anti-poor and pro-rich policies of the UPA have accentuated inflationary trends much to the dismay of common man. He lamented that it was the misrule of Congress for several decades in the country, which was responsible for the plight of common man.The Chief Minister bemoaned that Congress has never bothered to keep any check over the serious problems faced by the country. He said that it was paradoxical situation that the Congress which claimed itself to be the votary of common man was infact helping the big companies to mint the money illegally by safeguarding their interests in a clandestine manner. He said that the adverse policies of the Union government were responsible for the day-by-day mounting inflation which has resulted in the increase in agonies of the common man manifolds.
The Chief Minister said that realizing well that it was the duty of the state government to acquaint the coming generations with their rich cultural heritage the state government have erected Virasat-e-Khalsa at Sri Anandpur Sahib, ‘Chhota Ghallughara Kahnuwan Chhambh Shaheedi Memorial’ at Kahnuwan, Memorial of Wadda Ghallughara at Kup Rahiran and Fateh Burj at Chhapar Chiri in the state. He further said that the Punjab government has already spent Rs 500 crore on the construction of Virasat-e-Khalsa which has emerged as a huge centre for attraction amongst the people from all strata of society.Likewise the Chief Minister said that now in order to pay glorious tributes to the great martyrs and sons of the soil for their immense contribution in the Indian freedom struggle, the state government would soon start work for constructing a ‘Jang-e-Azaadi’ memorial on 25 acres of land at Kartarpur in district Jalandhar. Mr Badal said the work on this exemplary memorial to be erected at the cost of Rs 200 crore would be completed in two years. He said that apart from it the state government would also construct the memorial of Baba Jiwan Singh in Sri Anandpur Sahib, Sri Guru Ravidass Ji Maharaj at Khuralgarh in Hoshiapur, Moti Ram Mehra and Bhagwan Valimiki Ji Maharaj so as to pay befitting tribute to them.
Striking an emotional chord with the people, the Chief Minister categorically said that he was seized of majority of problems and hardship faced by the people of Punjab due to his long stint as Chief Minister of the state for five terms. He said that knowing well that free power to the farmers was the need of the hour the state government was paying more than Rs 5000 crore to the POWERCOM so as to ensure free power supply to them far. Likewise Mr Badal said that Rs 1300 criore was being spent for the welfare of the poor and weaker sections of the society through schems like Atta DAL Shagun and Pensions.
The Chief Minister further said that not only this but his government was also laying special emphaisis on the all round development of the state adding that Rs 1700 crore was being spent to the upgrade and strengthen the network of the rural roads across the state. Similarly he said that a prestigious program has been embarked to provide basic civic ammnties to the all the towns and villages of the state. Likeise Mr Badal said that thrust was also being laid for provising quality helath service and education to the people of the state.
Earlier in his address the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal said that in order to check the menace of drug addiction in the state, the SAD-BJP government has adopted zero tolerance policies towards the drug peddlers. He categorically said that a spcial campaign has been started by the state government to put the drug smugglers behind the bar adding that the results of this camaugn would be evitable soon. Exhorting the people to play a proactive role in checking the drug addiction in the state, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal said that public support was vital for carrying out any such campaign in an effective manner. He also said that soon a helpline number would be set up by the state government where the people could lodge their complaint besides giving vital inputs check the drug trafficking in the state.
Recalling the chequered history of sacrifices of the Shiromani Akali Dal for safeguarding the interest of the state and its people, the Deputy Chief Minister said that whenever the AD has assumed power in the state the well being of all the sections of the society has been ensured. Making a scathing attack on the Congress party, he said that rather than working for the welfare of the common people the Congress leadership has always shed crocodile tears on the issues related to them. Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal said that Punjab was the only state in the country which under the stewardship ofd Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal was exetsnively working for the welfare of the poor and weakers sections of the society.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that for the first time in the state secial emphasis has ebeen laid on the education of poor but bright students adding that all senior secondary students in government schools securing 80% or above marks would get an annual scholarship of Rs. 30,000 under a new Dr. Hargobind Khurana Scholarship Scheme. Likeise he said that all BPL families would get 30,000 Medical Insurance for each member under a new Bhagat Puran Singh Health Welfare Scheme and all government hospitals would provide free medicines to the poor in the state. In the same manner the Deputy Chjief Minister said that all BPL families would get free Life Insurance and all children belonging to these families will get a monthly stipend of Rs 200 each. The Deputy Chief Minister further said hat in order to give a fillip to the gril education in he state Rs 30,000 per annum Nannhi Chhaan Scholarship Scheme for poor girl students of 15.40 lac Blue Card Holder families in professional courses would be given by the state government. Likewise he said that all Government ITI's in the state would provide Free Professional Education for girls.Revenue and Information & Public relations Minister and yad Mr Bikram Singh Majithia in his address said that it was a fact that the SAD-BJP alliance government of the state, which enjoys the faith and confidence of very section of the society, was in reality the government of the poor and downtrodden people due which it was working with a missionary zeal to ensure their well being. Lauding the role of Chief Minister in constructing the monuments like Virasat-E-Khalsa, Chotta Ghallughara, Wadda Ghallughara and others for perpetuating the rich cultural legacy amongst the coming generations, Mr Majithia said that only a statesman like Mr Parkash Singh Badal could take such decision. He also lauded the role of the state government under the stewardship of Mr Parkash Singh Badal to develop the holy cities across the state.
Thanking the people of the state for resposing their faith time and again in the pro-people and development oriented policies of the SAD-BJP combine, the Minister said that it was the high time that the Congress must be wiped ut from the national political arena so that more development could be esnuerd in the state and sought people’s co-operartion and support to oust congress from centre in order to pay a way for installation of nda fgocernmnetnt so that the long pending legitimate demands of Punjab could be met without any further delay.
In his address President of state unit of BJP Mr Kamal Sharma while recalling the significance of the sacred land of Sri Anandpur Sahib said that during the regime of SAD-BJP alliance the state has witnessed complete communal harmony and brotherhood. He called upon the people on this historic occasion to take aledge to fight out the scourage of dug addiction, female foeticide and untouchability from the society.The President of SGPC Jathedar Avtar Singh in his address exhorted the people to follow the path shown by the Sikh Gurus for carving out an egalitarian society in the state. The SGPC Chief reiteratred his commitment that SGPC is making out concerted efforts to wean away te youth from the mace of druig addiction through oragisning aware camps across the state besides sensitizing people against the socal evils like female feoticide, dowry and untouchability as these maladies which had already inflicted our society was against the tenets of Sikhism adding that these must be condemned by one and all.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Cabinet Ministers Mr Surjeet Singh Rakhra and Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, MLAs Mr Daljeet Singh Cheema, Jathedar Tota Singh, Bibi Jagir Kaur and Mr Surinder Singh Bhullewalrathan, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister Mr Harcharan Bains, Advisor to the Chief Minister Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Rajya Sabha MPs Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, former Union Minister Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, former MP Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra, President of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee Mr Manjeet Singh GK, Chief of Damdami Taksal and President Sant Samaj Baba Harnaam Singh Dhumma and senior BJP leader Mr Rakesh Rathore.