Bansal accuses SAD-BJP of misleading people

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 29

Senior Congress leader and former Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today said the Punjab Government didn’t give land to lay a railway track from Rama Mandi to Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, which was proposed in the railway budget presented by him during his tenure.

Pawan Bansal said he had announced two new railway links to be laid — one was Rama Mandi-Talwandi Sabo- Maur and the second was Ferozepur-Patti to connect the border area — but work on both these projects failed to take off as the Punjab Government had not provided land for this.

He said other states were quick in providing land for such projects.

Pawan Kumar Bansal and former Member of Parliament Vijay Inder Singla were today in the city to interact with people and take their suggestions for preparing the party manifesto.

While addressing a gathering, Pawan Bansal, lashing out at the SAD-BJP government, said this government was misleading the people of Punjab by claiming in advertisements that got the first international airport constructed at Mohali.

He said they were lying to the public as the airport was a joint venture between Punjab and Haryana and Haryana had given equal money for it.

He said no new airstrip had been made and Haryana had not even allowed the Punjab Government to name this airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

Congress leader Vijay Inder Singla lashed out at Modi and Kejriwal and said both had failed to deliver.

“Modi gave hope of ‘achhe din’ to the people but we can see two years have passed and things even become worst,” Singla added.

On Kejriwal, he said he had done nothing and just to escape responsibility, the AAP leader was blaming the Modi government for not allowing him to do anything.

Singla said when Sheila Dikshit became the chief minister of Delhi for the first time during the NDA government, she never complained and changed the face of Delhi.

The former MP said he was shocked to see that the SAD-BJP government had installed hoardings in Bathinda, taking credit for opening Bhabha Cancer Centre at Sangrur whereas it was he who made significant efforts to get the project sanctioned from the UPA government.

People raised many issues and demanded that they should be addressed when Congress came to power.

Arun Wadhawan, PCA selector, demanded that land for the cricket stadium should be given in the city.

Earlier, a world-class cricket stadium was announced on PAU land but later, the land was given for some other project.

People also raised the issue of water-logging and demanded that after coming to power, the Congress should probe the Rs 288 crore project given to Triveni company, which they alleged had done nothing in a year.

City residents also demanded that property tax should be abolished, more employment for youths should be generated and loans on 3-4 per cent interest should be given for small scale industry among other things.

Former state minister Harmander Singh Jassi, organiser of the event Harvinder Tinku Grover, Chiranji Lal Garg, and other leaders were present at the function.