SAD committed to Zirakpur’s development, says Sukhbir

Our Correspondent

Zirakpur, March 6

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said stark difference between development in Bathinda and the utter neglect of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s home constituency of Patiala was reason enough to reject the Congress and its candidate Preneet Kaur in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Addressing a well-attended ‘worker milni’ here in the constituency of party legislator NK Sharma, the SAD president said Bathinda had seen record development in the past 10 years.

“Besides a complete overhaul of infrastructure, Bathinda has seen the advent of the petroleum refinery, Central University, AIIMS and a new airport. In stark contrast, no major project came into the Patiala parliamentary constituency during the last tenure of Capt Amarinder and nothing has been done for the constituency in the past two years. There is no reason for people to reward incompetence,” he said.

Badal said the SAD-BJP government had focused on the Mohali area and the establishment of the Mohali International Airport had given a boost to economic activity in the region. Mohali was set to become an international IT hub with the number of flights from the city set to increase from the present 33 to 85 from April this year.

“The SAD is committed to the development of Zirakpur and will make it on a par with Mohali if it forms the government in the state again,” he said.

The SAD president also took on the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi for insulting the armed forces and demoralising them by questioning their role in the airstrikes, saying this was being done for political goals only. “Rahul should understand that the country comes first,” he said.

He also questioned Rahul Gandhi for visiting Punjab on the eve of the parliamentary polls. He said the Congress president was coming for electioneering on Thursday, but he did not get time to come and console even one of the 900 farmer families whose kin committed suicide after the Congress government reneged on its promise to waive off their loans completely.

Badal also urged people to unite under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the country needed a strong PM at this crucial juncture when Pakistan was trying to foment trouble. He said simultaneously people should also pass a vote of no confidence against the Congress government in the parliamentary polls for betraying each and every section of society.