No road map for Punjab in Governor’s address: AAP

Chandigarh, March 28

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday claimed that the Governor’s address to the Assembly failed to provide a road map to tackle issues the people of Punjab are facing.

Leader of Opposition in the House HS Phoolka alleged that the plan to tackle the important issues in the state, mentioned in the election manifesto of the Congress party, was missing from the Governor’s address.

Even the proceedings regarding the address were not tabled in the house, he said.

The AAP leader said before elections, the Congress promised to wave off loans of farmers and passing a law in this regard but no such plan has been given in today’s address.

Many farmers had stopped paying their loans after the assurance from the Congress but now as the banks and other private firms have started harassing them by imposing penal interest on loans, the government has turned a blind eye to the matter, Phoolka said.

He claimed that the tractors and other farm-related equipments are being impounded by the banks.

Phoolka said the government must assure the farmers by issuing a statement that no confiscation will would took place in the future.

He alleged that the government also failed to give any plan to prevent farmers’ suicides in the state.

The AAP alleged that the ‘Gunda Tax’, illegally imposed by Akali leaders, is still in place and now the Congress leaders have started collecting it.

He demanded a statement in this regard from the government.

Phoolka also expressed “displeasure” over no mention of duration of electricity to be provided to the farmers for the purpose of irrigation.

The government did not even utter a single word regarding providing uninterrupted drinking water supply to the people of state, he said.

“We were expecting that a time-bound enquiry will be initiated in Guru Granth Sahib desecration issues that happened in Punjab, but the government failed to do so.

“Even Justice Zora Singh commission in its report mentioned that many high profile political leaders were involved in these cases but the government failed to address this issue of high significance,” he said.

Phoolka said the issue of private schools “harassing” the students and their parents was not raised in the address as “many Congress and Akali leaders have their stakes in the education business being run in state”.

AAP Chief Whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the “friendly ties between Congress and Akali Dal leaders were exposed” as the government made no announcement regarding marking an enquiry into the illegal transport, cable, liquor and sand business of Akali leaders.

“Badal family looted the state for 10 years and the common people of Punjab suffered because of atrocities of Akali leaders but to the surprise of all, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh don’t want to take any action against them,” he alleged. — PTI