Only SAD can safeguard regional aspirations of Punjabis: Harsimrat Badal

Tribune News Service

Adampur (Jalandhar), Dec 31

Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday urged the masses to elect a stable government, which can safeguard their regional aspirations. She asserted that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was the only party, which had steadfastly stood up for the state and its people.

Addressing a massive gathering in favour of SAD candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu in Adampur, Harsimrat said all other political parties and fronts were mere rubber stamps of “Dilli Durbar”. “Only the SAD has a track record of safeguarding regional aspirations of Punjabis. We are committed to protect the interest of all sections of society.”

She also led a scathing attack on Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal. She said despite being in power for more than three months and making one announcement after another, nothing has changed on the ground.

She said the Chief Minister had announced that 5 marla plots would be given to the needy, 36,000 contractual employees would be regularised and compensation would be given to cotton farmers. “I have been asking the people if any of these promises have been fulfilled. They say that no plot has been given. Forget regularising 36,0000 employees, even one employee has not been regularised.” She said similarly cotton farmers were promised fair compensation, but now various terms and conditions have been imposed on the award.

Harsimrat disclosed that even though the Congress government had not done anything for the masses, it had accumulated a debt of Rs 1 lakh crore during the past five years. “This despite the fact that the people were taxed heavily, their power bills were hiked multiple times and they had to pay the most VAT on petrol and diesel as compared to other states.”

She said Kejriwal wanted to usurp power in Punjab through hook or by crook. She said despite the fact that no woman in Delhi had been given even Rs 1 per month by the AAP, the party was promising to give Rs 1,000 per month to women in Punjab. She said similarly 200 units per bill cycle scheme was a failure in Delhi and did not benefit the people because they were charged the complete bill if they consumed even one unit more than 200 units.

She said the AAP convener had taken an anti–Punjab stance on the SYL canal issue and had also advocated closing down the thermal plants of Punjab, besides calling for registering cases against farmers for burning stubble.

Harsimrat also visited the residence of kisan andolan martyr Arshdeep Singh at Mansurpur Wadala and met with the family members who informed that no one from the government had visited them and that they had not received any financial assistance to date.