Setting the political agenda for the coming Lok Sabha elections in 2014, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon the people to give a befitting reply to the discriminatory and apathetic attitude of Congress led UPA government by showing them the door to install the NDA government at Center for heralding a new era of prosperity and overall development in the country in general and Punjab in particular.Addressing a massive rally organized by the SAD-BJP here at local grain market, Badal said that the upbeat mood of the people in the today’s rally was a prophecy for the UPA government that its days were numbered, as its fall was imminent under its own weight due to rampant corruption, un-controllable inflation and autocratic style of functioning resulting in ill-conceived anti-people decisions. He blamed the Center for usurping the legitimate powers of the states to its own advantage thereby diluting the federal structure of the country. He emphasized the need that states should be given full autonomy at least free hand in sorting out state-related issues like sanctioning of link roads and drinking water schemes etc. Badal said: “It is highly derogatory that the states had to depend heavily on Center for even petty issues whereas Central government is adopting tough posture rather addressing these issues liberally”.
Badal equated the indifferent attitude of Congress like a parasitic plant “Amar Bel” which was bound to vanish the country especially the common man to whom it considers its votary. He pointed out that the UPA government was bent upon to throw all the democratic norms and constitutional ethics to the wind. He said that the deliberate denial of drought package to Punjab was a testimony towards Center’s step motherly treatment to the state as the other states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha had been allowed this package while we had been deliberately kept out on the pretext that the state government had not requested the Center to send a special team to assess the damage. Making mockery of the Center’s plea on this count, Badal asked them whether the Central team was bigger than team of the two Central Ministers under the chairmanship of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar accompanied by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh who held detailed parlays with the senior officers of the Punjab government led by Cabinet Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, who had demanded a special financial package of Rs.5112 crore to bail out the beleaguered farmers as well as state government for incurring extra expenditure to save paddy in the wake of drought like conditions across the state. He categorically said that Center was in no mood to extend financial package to Punjab as it was concocting one excuse after another to deliberately exclude Punjab from it.
Listing the major achievements of the SAD-BJP government, the Chief Minister said that it was a matter of great pride and satisfaction that our state had been ranked No.1 in Education and adjudged the best state in Health sector for excellent infrastructure. He said that the state government had embarked upon an ambitious program for the cleaning of rivers at a huge cost of Rs.2500 crore which had been badly polluted due to reckless disposal of municipal sewage and industrial effluents into it. Likewise, all the households would be provided with safe drinking water in all the cities, towns and villages keeping in view immense significance of quality water to ensure health and hygiene of the people. Realizing the tremendous success of the recent mega-medical camps organized at village Badal where nearly 17000 patients were diagnosed and medically treated for various ailments, the government has now decided to organize another two-day Mega medical camp at Mansa on November 3 and 4, which would be later replicated in other parts of the state.Conceding the demands put forth by the MLA Maur Mandi and Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, the Chief Minister announced that Maur Mandi would be soon accorded the status of Sub-pision in the next Cabinet Meeting. He also announced to establish a Land Mortgage Bank besides Govt. Senior Secondary Schools for Boys and Girls. The Chief Minister also announced to set up an ultra-modern grain market besides sanctioning adequate funds for fire tender to cope up any eventuality arising out of sudden fire incidents. In his address, Deputy Chief Minister and President Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal felicitated the people of Maur Constituency for scuttling the game of Congress Party and its B team PPP by electing SAD nominee Janmeja Singh Sekhon adding that this largest ever rally in the history of Maur gives a unmistakable message that days of Congress party and its proxy parties were over in Punjab. He said that people of Punjab have reposed their unflinching faith in the leadership of S. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister Punjab who has ensured record development in the state. He said that it was vote for development, vote for transparency in governance and stamp of approval for governance reforms initiated by SAD-BJP government. Deputy Chief Minister further said that we are moving with full speed from day one to further accelerate the development of the state. He announced that all distributaries in all constituencies would be relined as Chief Minister has approved most comprehensive program for mini irrigation in the state. He said that besides ensuring integrating development of all 142 cities at the cost of 8775 crore, all villages would be provided internal concrete roads within next 3 years. Badal said that in last term we provide government jobs to 1.20 lac youth and we would soon start recruitment process for 1.5 lac vacant posts in the government departments. He said that Malwa would be lucky as textile hub would generate employment avenues for 1 lac youth in coming 4 years. Announcing 3rd edition of world cup Kabbadi, Badal said that inaugural function would be held at Bathinda on December 1 and for the first time teams from Africa and Europe would participate in the tournament. The Deputy Chief Minister assured that Maur was all set to get new face lift as they have best advocate as their MLA who pleads their case very forcefully. Training her guns against the Congress led UPA government, Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that instead of formulating any pro-people policy the most corrupt Congress led UPA government of the country has plundered 4 lakh 60 thousand crore Rupees through the scams like 2G, CWG, Adarsh society and now the coalgate. She said that on one hand the state government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal has left no stone unturned for ensuring the welfare of all sections of the society but on the other hand the UPA government has made the life of people miserable by plundering the public money. Mrs Badal said that the denial of the drought relief package to state was an ample proof of the anti-Punjab stance of the Congress adding that the need of the hour was that NDA government must be formed at the Centre to make sure that state makes 50 times more progress. Making a scathing attack on the PPP leader Manpreet Singh Badal, the Lok Sabha MP said that this “B” team of the Congress has been taught a lesson by the people of Punjab as all of its candidates were poorly defeated in the state assembly elections. She said that the people were now well aware about the tactics of the Congress, who have always used such defectors for derailing the progress of the state. Mrs Badal urged the people strengthen the hands of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine by ensuring that the alliance wins all the 13 Lok Sabha seats of the state in coming Parliament elections. Addressing the gathering Cabinet Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia said due to its anti-people stance the Congress led UPA government has been reduced to minority adding that the President of India must convene a session of the Lok Sabha and ask that the government to prove its majority. He said that it was an ironical situation that Congress led UPA Government, which had came into power on the name of common man, has today broken their backbone by hiking the prices of the essential commodities in an unprecedented manner. Terming the UPA as the most corrupt government of the country, Mr Majithia said that in the last eight years of their ‘misrule’ the Ministers of this government have plundered far more wealth than what the Britishers had done in the tenure of imperialism spanning for around 200 years. He said that it was unfortunate that on the one hand the UPA government was wrongfully denying the drought relief package to Punjab but on the other it was illegally perting the tax payer’s hard earned money in Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi’s Constituency, for carrying out developmental works. Exhorting the people to rout out the Congress party in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Majithia said that the time has come when Punjabis must teach this party a lesson for their anti-Punjab decisions. Terming Manpreet Singh Badal as a traitor, the Revenue Minister said that by joining hands with the Congress in a clandestine manner the PPP leader has deceived the ‘Panth’. However he said that the voters of Punjab were wise enough to teach him a lesson for the treachery against SAD during the assembly elections. Earlier, in his welcome address, Irrigation Minister Jameja Singh Sekhon thanked the people for the overwhelming response in making today’s rally a grand success. He assured the Chief Minister that the people of Maur Mandi would repeat the same history of extending exemplary support to Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the next parliamentary elections with a thumping majority. He appealed the Chief Minister to accept the demands of the area which had been grossly neglected by the earlier Congress regime. Prominent amongst others who spoke on the occasion included Senior Vice President SAD Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, SAD General Secretary & Member Rajya Sabha Balwinder Singh Bhunder, senior Akali leader and constituency Incharge of Talwandi Sabo Amarjit Singh Sidhu, former MLA Mangat Rai Bansal and District Rural BJP President Dyal Singh Sodhi.