Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today announced chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his OSDs would not be allowed to run away from Punjab post 2027 assembly elections and would be held accountable for their corrupt deeds.
Addressing a massive Punjab Bachao rally here along with Patiala Rural halka incharge Jaspal Singh Bittu Chatha, the SAD president said “these corrupt persons think they can run abroad to Canada and Australia and other countries where they have stashed their illegal wealth.
I want to tell them. They will all be held to account. They will be brought back to face the law even if they flee and will be held accountable for their crimes”. Answering a media query later, Mr Sukhbir Badal said twisting ‘kiklis’ (traditional folk sequences) to target me will not get chief minister Bhagwant Mann anywhere.
He can make up any number of ‘kiklis’ he wants but this won’t save him from the wrath of Punjabis who want to take him to account for betraying them in every possible sphere. I challenge chief minister Bhagwant Mann to visit any village in Punjab without his posse of 500 police personnel and security apparatus which imposes a lockdown and confiscates weapons wherever he goes like it did in Jaito today.
Once he does this Punjabis will make him forget his cheap ‘kiklis’ once and for all! To another query related to estranged Akalis returning to the party fold, the SAD president said, “I appeal to every Punjabi to set aside differences and unite under the banner of Punjab’s one and only regional party. Together, we must protect Punjab from the “looters” of Delhi and reclaim the pride and prosperity of our state.”
Speaking about the false cases being registered by the AAP regime at the rally, Mr Badal said “once a SAD government is formed we will establish a Committee headed by a sitting judge to probe all the cases within a span of three months. All false cases will be revoked and strict action will be taken against political leaders and officers responsible for registering such cases”.
Mr Badal also spoke about how the Congress had repeatedly betrayed Punjabis and did not have one thing to show despite remaining in power for 25 years in the State. He said Capt Amarinder Singh, who had remained chief minister for ten years, had not cared to visit one ward or village in Patiala Rural while former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had held Sangat Darshan programmes in all its villages.
He also appealed for Panthic unity on the occasion and urged all Akalis to return back to the party fold.Speaking about his vision for Punjab, Mr Badal said government jobs would be given to Punjabis only unlike the AAP government which had given such jobs to outsiders.
He said the next SAD government would welcome new investment but would put a condition that all new units should hire at least 75 per cent Punjabis. He also announced that youth would be given a Rs 10 lakh interest free loan besides being given a 75 per cent subsidy to establish livestock farms.
Mr Badal also spoke on how the next SAD government would establish a World Skill University which would skill one lakh youth every year and would have centres in each district. He said the SAD would introduce an expanded Aata Dal scheme and raise old age pension to Rs 3,100 per month and Shagun allowance to Rs 1 lakh. Other leaders who spoke on the occasion included N K Sharma, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Gurpreet Singh Raju Khanna, Kabir Das, Sarabjit Singh Jhinjar, Amit Singh Rathi and Arshdeep Singh Kler.