Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh today demanded registration of criminal case against those responsible for the botched up eye surgeries that led to several people losing their eyesight.He rejected the monthly assistance of Rs 2000 announced by the state government for the victims saying, it is a cruel joke and there is no guarantee that the victims will continue to get the assistance as the government has regularly and repeatedly defaulted in several similar cases earlier also.Talking to the reporters after meeting the victims in a local hospital here today, Capt Amarinder demanded that the government must provide adequate compensation which can generate sufficient interest which they can get every month.He also announced that his party office will be making arrangements for food for the patients and their attendants in the hospital.
Replying to a question about yesterday's incident of a woman trying to burn herself outside the residence of the Punjab Chief Minister, theCongress leader said, it reflected the failure of the government in addressing the problem of unemployment. He pointed out that it must be some desperation that may have driven the lady to such extreme step which was quite unfortunate and there were thousands of people like the lady who tried to immolate herself.
Capt Amarinder met the relatives of the hostages held by the ISIS in Iraq and assured them to take up the matter with the External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. He said, it was high time that the government of India cleared all doubts and suspicion about their fate. He shared the anxiety and the trauma of the hostages' relatives while hoping that their ordeal ended soon.The former Chief Minister said that the issue of conversion from one faith to another was a matter of personal faith and choice and it must remain so. He said, all political parties need to make it categorically clear that inpidual faith of a person must be respected and guarded and the government and the political parties must ensure that it is safeguarded as guaranteed by the Constitution of the country.
Capt Amarinder categorically rejected the rumours about his joining the BJP. HE regretted that some newspapers had falsely reported it without even talking to him.On the issue of differences between the Akalis and the BJP, the Congress leader maintained that the BJP was the equal partner in crime with the Akalis. He said, the BJP is as much responsible for everything that has gone wrong in Punjab as the Akalis. He observed BJP cannot wriggle out of the situation now and people will hold them in the dock. He pointed out that three BJP ministers had been sacked for corruption and now they can't claim to be saints.
He also attended the Lord Jagan Nath Yatra and paid his obeisance to Lord Jagan Nath on the Rath.Later he addressed a workers' meeting at the residence of DCC rural president Gurjeet Singh Aujla.Capt Amarinder was accompanied by the Congress Legislative Party Leader in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sunil Jakhar, party MLAs Om Prakash Soni, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Sukh Sarkaria, Gur Iqbal Kaur and senior leaders including Lali Majitha, Harpartap Singh Ajnala, Tarsem DC, Gurjeet Aujla, Dr Dharamvir Agnihotri, Sunil Datti, Ashwani Pappu, Karamjit Rintu, SS Kathunangal and others.