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It’s usual blame game at Jor Mela
Bhattal: SAD behind fiscal mess
Manish Sirhindi
Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 25
Addressing political rally on the second day of the Shaheedi Jor Mela, leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal asked the ruling combine to come out with a white paper on the loans sought by state.

After paying tributes to younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh who were entombed alive by the Mughals for not embracing Islam, Bhattal said the state was going through a major financial crisis because of the mismanagement of financial issues by the Akalis.

Bhattal said it was the SAD government that had pushed the state under a burden of huge debts and even now they had no well-drawn plan to improve the fiscal health of Punjab.

Bhattal’s advice to
Capt on Aroosa

On being asked about the visit of Pakistani journalist Aroosa Alam to the private resident of former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said Capt Amarinder Singh should be concerned about the party’s image. She said though it was his personal matter, being a senior party leader he should not indulge in any such thing that could affect the party’s image. The Captain was a seasoned politician and would most likely take care of such issues, she added.

She said the government was avoiding a debate with the Congress over the financial issues as it was not in a position to justify its own financial policies. She said during the past 10 months, the SAD-BJP combine had proved to be a complete failure. Showing concerns over the fresh taxes likely to be imposed in the state, she said the state Congress would oppose any such move by the government. If need be, then they would organise protests across the state.

The Opposition leader accused SAD leaders of not following the secular path shown by the Sikh Gurus for which they had made great sacrifices.

Former PPCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo, who accompanied Bhattal, accused both the SAD and the BJP of being communal parties. He said it was because of the sacrifices made by the Congress leaders during the days of terrorism that Punjab was still in existence. It was the Congress that steered the state through adverse conditions.