Congress is delaying MC poll to buy more time, says Pawan Tinu

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News service

Jalandhar, September 20

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief whip and MLA from Adampur Pawan Kumar Tinu has accused the Congress government of delaying the MC poll in the state to buy extra time for strengthening its base in urban Punjab.

While speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of his felicitation ceremony organised by Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia and SAD district president Gurcharan Singh Channi at the MC office here today, Tinu said the entire delimitation process was being planned under wraps and the government had strictly directed its officials not to disclose anything in the public domain.

“Though it has been six months since the delimitation process has begun, the government has not made it clear as on which basis it is being planned,” said Tinu adding that if any anomaly was found, he would even challenge the whole process in the High Court.

The SAD leader said, “Despite being a member of the general House and his MC ward No. 9 and 11 come under his constituency, he has not been approached by officials of the Local Bodies Department so far to take his views on the delimitation.”

Presenting the six-month report card of the state government, Tinu said the state government had failed to fulfill its poll promises.

“The most serious blunder committed by the government was to tag the Punjabi youth as drug addicts. Now, a report released by the PGIMER recently throws light on Congress’s claims. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of Punjab,” added Tinu.

He said the Congress government had failed to provide jobs to the youths. The SAD leader said the CM had given a job only to Guriqbal Singh, grandson of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh.

The SAD chief whip also accused the Jalandhar district administration of causing an intentional delay in the inauguration of a domestic airport at Adampur at the behest of the Congress government to malign the image of the SAD-BJP coalition. 

Talking about the Gurdaspur bypolls, Tinu said while the BJP was ruling in over four Assembly constituencies, the SAD had more hold in the district as it had five MLAs from the area. 

“We will provide all support to the BJP candidate and ensure his win in the bypolls,” said the Chief Whip. 

While mocking at the Punjab Government, Tinu said while sugarcane farmers in the state were waiting to get their Rs 100 crore released from the state government, it only released Rs 25 crore for farmers, hailing from Gurdaspur district to grab their votes in the bypolls.