The Shiromani Akali Dal today strongly opposed the proposed water policy of Congress led UPA government to privatize the rivers, canals besides abolition of all kinds of subsidies on irrigation and potable water to agricultural and domestic sectors as the new water policy of Congress led UPA government would destroy the agrarian economy of Punjab besides robbing the rightful riparian rights.
In a statement issued here, President of the Party Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the it was the sinister attempt of Congress led UPA government to hand over all natural and man made water resources of the country in the hands of its friendly MNCs, making a population of 122 crore of India their slave for all times to come. He said that not satisfied with the loot of Rs.1.76 lac crore in 2G scam, this government has now decided to loot the only available natural resource of the country by introducing a new National Water Policy that calls for privatization of water delivery services and maximising the water prices. Mr. Badal said that the new policy also exposes the false promise of Free power of Amarinder as Manmohan Singh’s new water policy says that ‘subsidy to agricultural electricity user be curtailed as it leads to wasteful use of electricity and water’ He said that this policy would not only raise the cost of water for both farmers and urban users but would not spare even the poor devotees who would have to pay for holy dip in the rivers like sacred Ganga.
Mr. Badal said that the new water policy was tailor made to destroy the economy of farmers of Punjab making them dependent on private sector even for water and further pushing them in debt trap. He said that according to the reports Amarinder Singh has got this policy approved to hold his friends in multi national companies, sacrificing the interest of all farmers of the country.
Commenting on a front page report published in a national daily, Mr. Badal said that it seems that Congress party was aiming for a slot in Guinness Book of World Record for looting the natural resources of the country. He said that Congress was deliberately inducing such policies to help friendly business houses. “Congress led UPA government was habitual of this practice and use this phenomenon to share the booty”, he added. He said that Congress led UPA government was deliberately scuttling strong Jan Lokpal as they do not want such policies to come under its scanner.
Accusing the Congress party for adopting East India Company policies to rob the natural resources, Mr. Badal said that Shiromani Akali Dal would not allow any such policy that hits the economy of farming community. He said that it is ironical that the policy suggests that subsidies to the farmers and domestic water users be stopped and private companies be subsidies for distribution of these water resources. He said that Congress party was trying to hold multi national companies in furtherance of their nefarious designs.
He said that the poor were already facing the starvation because of record food inflation and now they would have to face dehydration as the Congress’s new policy would transfer the cost of water projects to the project-benefited families by forcing them to pay increased price of water.
Mr. Badal mocked at the Congress’s new policy which proposed that subsidy to agricultural electricity users should be abolished as farmers were wasting both electricity and water for producing crops to tackle food crises in the country. He questioned that if Congress led UPA government was busy in framing such anti-people and anti-farmer policies how Captain would work other way in Punjab.
He said that Congress was playing a dirty game by leaving the underprivileged sections of the society at the mercy of private players. Mr. Badal said that people of Punjab were well aware of the double face policies of Congress party and the Congress party would meet the same fate in Punjab as it had witnessed in Bihar.