Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today exhorted the people to rout the Congress led UPA government in coming Lok Sabha polls thereby paving way for the formation of NDA government at the centre, to fulfill the dreams of the freedom fighters who had laid down their life for the sake of independence. Addressing a mammoth gathering at a state level function organized on the martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh here today, the Chief Minister categorically said that the successive Congress governments at the centre have failed to realize the dreams of our national heroes who had laid down their life for throwing away the yoke of foreign imperialism. He said that due to the ill conceived policies of the successive Congress governments the nation was confronting a large number of social maladies like inflation, poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, corruption and others. Mr. Badal said that in order cherish the aspirations of the freedom fighters it was the need of the hour that the Congress led UPA government must be shown a door in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh, the Chief Minister said that this true son of soil had in a heroic act exhibited exemplary courage by killing Michael O’ Dwyer, the prime perpetrator of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Mr. Badal said that in order to pay homage to such great heroes and other Punjabis who had made more than 80% sacrifices in national freedom struggle, the state government was constructing ‘Jang-e-Azaadi’ memorial at Kartarpur in district Jalandhar. However he said that it was unfortunate that the Union government had forgotten the sacrifice of these national heroes and they do not bother to remember them on such days.
Making a scathing attack on the UPA government, the Chief Minister said that the Union government has failed to provide the internal and external security to the people due to which the sovereignty of the country was in deep peril. He said that on the one hand the countries like China were posing serious threat to external security and on the other hand problems like naxalism were threatening the internal security of the nation due to which countrymen were constantly living under high threat. Assailing the Centre Government, the Chief Minister said that due to rampant corruption, the UPA government has virtually became a synonym of scams and scandals as most of its ministers were neck deep in corruption. He said that most of the Congress leaders have stashed their money abroad due to which the UPA government was hesitating to bring it back despite of the fact that the foreign banks were willing to give it back.
Taking a dig at PPP leader Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal, the Chief Minister said that the former Finance Minister has ruined his political career by stabbing the SAD and now he was striving hard to take refuge in Congress camp for his political rehabilitation. He said that the SAD had honored Manpreet by giving him pivotal positions in party and government but now he was spitting venom against his mother party to seek favor from the Congress. However Mr. Badal said that wise voters of Punjab would again teach a befitting lesson to Manpreet for his treachery.
Earlier talking to the media persons, the Chief Minister categorically said that providing free power to Punjab farmers was a moral responsibility of the state government and he hardly see any reason to review it. Mr. Badal said that the state government was providing free power to the farmers so as to bail them out from the current crisis prevailing due to the escalating costs of the agricultural inputs on one hand and the lack of the remunerative MSP on the other. If we do not extend a helping hand to the farmers than they would be ruined as due to the wrong policies of the Union government the beleaguered peasantry of state was already reeling under a whopping debt of Rs 30,000 crore, he added.
Slamming the Congress led UPA government for depriving the state from the Cashless Road accident scheme, the Chief Minister said that it was a testimony of the step motherly treatment meted out to the state by the Congress party. He said that the Congress party has always adopted an anti-Punjab stance and the excluding the state from this scheme was a glaring example of it. Mr. Badal said that before resorting to such gimmicks, the Congress leaders especially the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh must remember that they were in power just because of the sacrifices made by the Punjabis in the national freedom struggle.Replying to a query regarding the problems faced by the Punjabi farmers in the Kutch region of Gujarat, the Chief Minister said that he would take up this matter with his Gujarat counterpart and ensure that some solution for this problem was found.
Welcoming the formation of Telangana state, the Chief Minister said that Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) welcomes this step adding that the Union government should also consider the demand of formation of more states sympathetically.
The Chief Minister categorically said that all the decisions in the state government were taken unanimously by the SAD-BJP leaders and there was hardly any difference between them on any issue. He said that the fact that there was no dissension in the decisions made by Cabinet reflected that alliance government was working very efficaciously.
Castigating the Congress leaders for being apathetic towards the problems of the poor and weaker sections of society, the Chief Minister said that instead of making any concrete efforts to mitigate the miseries of the common man, the Congress leadership had made mockery of the poor by claiming that one could easily get food at Rs 5. He said that the insensitive Congress leaders were not aware about the ground realities and all the decisions were made by them while sitting in their Air conditioned offices. Mr. Badal said that the statements of the Congress leaders and the figures of Planning Commission of India regarding the poverty line were absurd and were further aimed at humiliating the poor.
The Chief Minister also reiterated that the financial condition of the state was very sound due to which unprecedented development was taking place in Punjab. Mr. Badal said that the state government has already embarked a major scheme to provide basic civic amenities in all the towns and cities of Punjab. Likewise he said that Rs 1700 crore was being spent on the upgradation and strengthening of the rural roads network in the state. Mr. Badal also said that due the stupendous efforts of the state government Punjab would soon be a Power Surplus state.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Secretary General of SAD and Rajya Sabha MP Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Cabinet Minister Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and senior SAD leader Mr. DS Guru, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Mrs. Farzaana Aalam, Babu Parkash Chand Garg and Sant Balbir Singh Ghunas, MLA Mr. Iqbal Singh Jhunda and Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. KJS Cheema.