Grewal accuses Congress of playing divisive politics

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 22

Senior Akali leader and party candidate from Ludhiana, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal has said the Congress was characteristically and congenitally anti-Punjab and it had always discriminated against the Punjabis.

Addressing a series of public meetings at Jaspal Bangar, Dharod, Jarkhar, Alamgir, Jassowal, Gill villages and later at Dugri Road in the city, he said since independence, the Congress leadership had given a step-motherly treatment to Punjab.

“It started with the division of Punjab — leaving important cities and Sikh shrines in Pakistan — then discriminating against Punjabis by denying Punjabi speaking areas and the state capital to it during reorganisation,” Grewal added.

The veteran SAD leader said the Congress had always played divisive politics that had only tried to divide people while the SAD-BJP alliance had a track record of restoring harmony and brotherhood in Punjab.

In an appeal to the electorate to vote for the SAD-BJP combine, he said only these two parties together had helped in maintaining peace and communal amity among the Punjabis.

“The Congress cannot claim monopoly over participation in the freedom struggle and maintenance of peace in the state as more Akali and BJP leaders have made sacrifices and laid down their lives towards this cause,” he added.

Taking a dig at Congress leaders for their breast beating and laying claims of having made sacrifices for the state, Grewal asked them as to what had they done to get Punjab its dues, including transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, as promised by the then government.

He said even an Act was brought in Parliament for this purpose, but thanks to the ill intentions of the Congress, it never materialised.

Series of public meetings

• Addressing a series of public meetings at Jaspal Bangar, Dharod, Jarkhar, Alamgir, Jassowal, Gill villages and later at Dugri Road in the city, he said since independence, the Congress leadership had given a step-motherly treatment to Punjab.
• The veteran SAD leader said the Congress had always played divisive politics that had only tried to divide people while the SAD-BJP alliance had a track record of restoring harmony and brotherhood in Punjab.
• In an appeal to the electorate to vote for the SAD-BJP combine, he said only these two parties together had helped in maintaining peace and communal amity among the Punjabis.