Terming that the emotive issue of Gurdwaras was ever close to heart and soul of every Sikh more than their lives, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was duty bound to thwart every attempt of the ‘modern day mahants’ to take over the control of their revered shrines in Haryana.Addressing a mammoth gathering here during a political conference to mark the sacred occasion of Rakhar Punia, the Chief Minister said that realizing well that the Gurdwaras were the chief source of temporal and spiritual power of the Sikhs, the Congress and its agents were trying to wrest there control. However, he said that these attempts of the Congress and its stooges would never turn into a reality because every Sikh was aware of their dubious track record. Mr. Badal said that the deliberate attempt by the Congress to weaken the SAD, Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and even Sri Akal Takht Sahib, was totally intolerable.
Recalling the enormous sacrifices made by the Sikhs to constitute the SGPC during the British Raj, the Chief Minister said that the ‘modern day mahants’ were trying to weaken this prestigious body of the Sikhs, at the behest of Congress party. He said that it was a time for every Sikh to introspect the anti-Sikh stance of the Congress, which has attacked Sri Harmandir Sahib and killed innocent Sikhs during 1984 Sikh carnage, so that it could be taught a befitting lesson for all these sins. “The tyrannies unleashed by the Congress party on Sikhs had surpassed even those of the Britishers and the Mughals due to which every true Sikh can never forgive it” added Mr. Badal.
Lashing out at the Congress party for meting out step motherly treatment towards the state, the Chief Minister said that more than 80% of the people who had sacrificed their lives during the freedom struggle belonged to Punjab. Likewise, he said that the Punjabis had remained on the forefront to safeguard the country during any internal or external aggression adding that the hard working and resilient farmers of the state had played a key role in making the country self reliant in food production. However, Mr. Badal said that the successive Congress governments at the centre had deliberately framed such policies, which were aimed at ruining the industry and agriculture in the state. “Besides all this the Congress party has irrelevantly meddled in the social, political, economic and even religious matters of the state” he added.
The Chief Minister further said that the Congress party’s policy of excessive centralization of powers, have ruined the country in every field. However, he said that under the dynamic, progressive and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, the country would soon reach the pinnacle of its glory. Mr. Badal expressed hope that the Prime Minister would steer the country on the path of progress and development by overcoming all the hurdles. “It may take some time but the day is not far away when Mr. Modi will restore the pristine glory of country by overcoming the current crisis faced by the nation” he added.
Later on interacting with the media persons, the Chief Minister said that it was too early to assess the performance of the Union government adding that the Modi Government must be given some time to perform. He said that Punjab would be immensely benefitted from the current regime of the NDA government.The Chief Minister further said that the state government was making all out efforts for wiping out the drug abuse from the state. He said that the state government has been able to cut off the supply line of drugs to a lot of extent and now a massive program for detoxifying the drug addicts and their rehabilitation has been embarked to enable them to live a life with dignity and self respect. Mr. Badal said that the state government was constructing 22 rehabilitation centers, which would be operational within four months.
Making a scathing attack on the Congress party, the Chief Minister said that the Congress party should not oppose any move of the centre or state government just for the sake of opposition. Rather, Badal, advised the Congress party to play the role of a constructive opposition for ensuring the welfare of the country and the state.The Chief Minister also said that the state government was following a set procedure for felicitating the Sportsmen who have earned laurels for the state in Asian, Commonwealth or Olympic games. He said that besides honoring these sons of the soils with the cash prizes, the state government has also recruited them on key government jobs
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Lok Sabha MP Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahampura, MLAs Bibi Jagir Kaur, Manjeet Singh Manna, Mr. Baljeet Singh Jalal Usma, and Special Principal Secretary of the Chief Minister Mr. Ajoy Sharma.