Partap Singh Bajwa, MP & President PPCC at Mass Contact Program in Sangrur today.
Sangrur, August 23, 2013: Partap Singh Bajwa President Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today stated that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had failed to convince Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw SLP filed by his government in the Supreme Court to dislocate Sikh farmers from Kutch area and he was offering legal help for face saving.
Addressing a largely attended meeting of party workers here Bajwa said that Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had promised accompany the Gujarat farmers to meet Modi and convince him to withdraw SLP which is filed against the order of Gujarat High Court. The full bench of High Court had nullified the orders of Gujarat Government asking farmers to sell their land and go to Punjab because they were not Gujaratis, citing Bombay Tenancy and Agriculture lands Act 1948.
Bajwa said that SAD is political alliance partner of BJP in Punjab and also member of BJP led NDA at national level. He said that Gujarat farmers had approached Badal to take up the issue with BJP leaders at political level and use his good offices. “The farmers had not approached Bajwa for legal help since they have hired best lawyers for their case. The farmers had rightly rejected the legal help by SAD-BJP government”, he added.
PPCC President said that Badal was in habit of telling lies and making false promises since nobody ever dared to challenge him publically. He said that it was unfortunate that Badal had failed to understand the gravity of situation and plight of farmers. He said that due to his business interests in other states, Badal has no moral strength to force BJP leadership and speak for the rights of Sikhs in other states.
He said that Congress party had time and again asserted that BJP was working on agenda of anti-minorities and the victimisation of Sikhs in Gujarat was another example of Modi’s political doctrine. He said that Sonia Gandhi had sacrificed the post of Prime Minister for Dr. Manmohan Singh who belonged to minority community. He said that Badal had lust for money and power which lure him to stick to post of Chief Minister.
Bajwa also rebutted statements being made by Badal and his son that the Centre was meddling in affairs of state. He said that they were finding excuses to escape public fury against poor governance, corruption, deteriorating law and order situation and bad economy. He said that Punjab was passing through a face of uncertainty and more or less look like a ‘banana republic’. He said that UPA government at center was rather helping the Punjab government to build infrastructure, set up quality education institutes and improve health and education services in state. The UPA government was not responsible for misappropriation of rural development funds, book scam in education department and medicine scam in health department.
He asked Badal to come clean on interest of his family in liquor business, illegal mining of sand and monopoly over public transport. He said that people of Punjab had not elected SAD-BJP government for serving business interests of ruling family. He said that it was also fact that majority of voters had not voted for SAD-BJP combine, they have won the election due to division of opposition votes. He said that Congress would show the Badals their class in the Punjab politics in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Bajwa said that Congress had started era of development in Punjab under first Chief Minister late Partap Singh Kairon. He said that land consolidation and grass root development of villages was done by Kairon. He led the Punjab farmers for bringing green revolution and made agriculture profitable venture. He set up the city of Chandigarh and then brought quality education and medical institutions like PGI and Punjab Agricultural University. It was due o efforts of Kairon that Bhakra Dam was constructed and it helped Punjab to gain prosperity. He said that Punjab remained number one during Congress rule in growth and per capita income. He reminded Badal that now Punjab was at 12th position in per capita income and at 6th place in economic performance.
He said that Congress led the freedom struggle and made sacrifices to protect the freedom. He said that Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Beant Singh sacrificed their lives for the unity and integrity of the country. Over 2400 Congress cadre workers were killed during insurgency in Punjab. He said that in present times UPA government had contributed more than any past government in the infrastructure building in Punjab.
Others who spoke on this occasion included Vijay Inder Singla MP, Surinderpal Singh Sibia former MLA and Balbir Singh Sidhu MLA Mohali, Jasbir Singh Ex-Minister, Subhash Grover President DCC Sangrur, Surjit Singh Dhiman Ex-MLA, Chand Singh Chopra Ex-MLA, Gurcharan Singh Dirba, Aman Arora Member AICC, Rajinder Deepa and Mai Roop Kaur.