Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab today said that Congress led UPA Congress was running away from vote in Parliament on the crucial issue of ‘Foreign Direct Investment’ in Retail Sector as it was fearing threat even its allies would not support the Government on anti-people FDI issue.Speaking to media persons here, Mr. Badal accompanied by Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue Minister, Punjab said that NDA as well as all opposition parities have been demanding a vote under section 184 on this crucial issue impacting our economy but Congress led UPA Government wanted to rush through this decision ignoring the ‘Temple of Democracy-Parliament’. He said that Shiromani Akali Dal as well as NDA was a firm view that on this crucial issue of FDI in Retail all stake holders including retailers, farmers, all political parties, traders should have been taken into loop but Congress led UPA Government wants to impose this decision like a dictator. He said that NDA would not allow UPA-II fiddle with the economy of the country. He said that Shiromani Akali Dal had supported FDI in wholesale as it felt that it would be beneficial to the retailers, farmers and traders removing the middlemen from the cycle but in the case of FDI in retail there was a question mark on the life and death of crores of retailers dependant on their neighbourhood shops. Answering a query, Mr. Badal said that he has already ordered review of security of all protectees after the incident of shoot out in New Delhi farm house. He said that the concerned committee would soon meet and would retune the security according to the threat perception of each protectee. He said that security cover would not be allowed to use it as ornamental showoff. Rubbishing the reports of shortage of Coal, Mr. Badal said that Powercom was reviewing the situation on day to day basis and he has already requested the Railway Minister to allocate more wagons for bringing coal from Jharkhand and Chattisgarh.
Earlier, inaugurating the outlet of METRO-Cash and Carry here, Mr. Badal accompanied by Mr. Rajeev Bakshi, MD, Metro Cash and Carry said that it was the fourth outlet in the state and 14th in the country, which would offer business customers a wider assortment of over 10,000 food and non-food products on wholesale prices. He said that such kind of outlets were the ‘best model of wholesale’, which would provide more than 90% country produced and made varieties of best qualities. He said that this outlet has provided direct and indirect job opportunities to more than 300 youth of the district. Prominent amongst those were present on the occasion included Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue Minister, Punjab, Mr. Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Former Union Minister, Mr. Rajat Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Ram Singh, Commissioner of Police.