Will defy any orders, even go to jail to save Punjab water, declares Capt Amarinder Singh
Promises to take all possible measures for the welfare of ex-servicemen and their kin
5 Dariya News
Jalandhar 22-Jan-2017
Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday declared that he was prepared to go to jail in defiance of court orders in the SYL case but would not let a single drop of water leave the state.“I am prepared to go behind bars, I will defy any orders to save Punjab waters,” Captain Amarinder declared at an ex-servicemen meet here, blaming Parkash Singh Badal for the SYL mess and exhorting the people to help the Congress win with two-third majority in order to take tough decisions in the interest of the state.Pointing out that Punjab was itself short of water, Captain Amarinder lamented the injustice done to the state at the time of its reorganization, with Punjab getting 60% land but only 40% water as Yamuna river water was not shared with Haryana. If SYL is constructed, about 10 lakh acres of southern Punjab would go dry, which the next Congress will prevent by bringing in tough legislations through majority in the assembly, he added.
Expressing dismay at the stepmotherly treatment meted out to ex-servicemen by the Modi government, Captain Amarinder said the Modi government had failed to support the ex-servicemen on the OROP issue even after such a long time. The Modi government, with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, had been subjecting the defence services to all kind of humiliation, through Pay Commission anomalies and degradation of army ranks below civilian rankings among other things, said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president.Army chiefs have been made to sit in the 18th row at official functions while Parrikar himself has been taking guard of honour in bathroom slippers and with his hands in his pocket, Captain Amrinder pointed out, terming the central government’s attitude towards defence personnel and ex-servicemen as utterly shameful. He accused `babus’ (bureaucrats) of trying to lower the prestige of the Army and promised that his government in Punjab, after the polls, would implement all the promises made in the manifesto for the welfare of the defence personnel and veterans.
Underpinning the need to bring ex-servicemen into the mainstream of the state, he spoke at length about his visionary Guardians of Governance scheme to provide gainful employment to veterans, utilizing their services to ensure stringent implementation of all welfare schemes on the ground.Touching upon other problems afflicting Punjab, Captain Amarinder said unemployment, coupled with the Badal-patronized drug mafia, had pushed the youth of the state into a quagmire of destruction. He reiterated his vow to finish drugs within four weeks of taking over the state’s governance. He referred to the various promises of the party for weaning youth away from drugs, including jobs, unemployment allowance and smart phones to connect them with the world.Captain Amarinder also repeated his promise of waiving off all farm loans to save the farming community from living in distress, at times culminating in suicide. He also attacked the Badal government for promoting communal polarization by encouraging sacrilegious incidents.The PPCC chief underlined the need to divert policemen from wasteful VVIP duties to maintain law and order in the state. The Badals had mortgaged the state’s resources to promote their personal and family interests, he said, promising to bring the state out of its current ruin through the `nau nukte’ listed in the party manifesto for the uplift of the people.
Extending full support to Captain Amarinder on behalf of the ex-servicemen and their families, General Satbir Singh earlier prayed that Punjab be saved by an ex-serviceman (Captain Amarinder) as only a soldier can understand the pain of a soldier.Calling for support and vote for Captain Amarinder led Punjab Congress, General Satbir said the state needs leadership that can revive it, from people who are born here and can relate to the pain of the Punjabis. The state needs leadership that thinks about ex-servicemen and their families – a fearless leader like Captain Amarinder, he said, amid slogans of `Punjab da Captain, Captain Amarinder Singh.’Accusing the Modi government of being totally unsympathetic and insensitive to the problems of ex-servicemen and cheating them on the issue of OROP, General Satbir pointed out that the central government failed to come to the recue of ex-servicemen even after 588 days of relay hunger. Even the plight of the three ex-servicemen, including a woman, who had been sitting on fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar for the past eight days had failed to move the Modi government, he said, expressing the confidence that Captain Amarinder would help them in their fight for justice.