CM did not care to visit Zirakpur even once in four years despite it being part of his wife Preneet Kaur’s constituency – Sukhbir Singh Badal

(Assures Pbis SAD will probe all the misdeeds of Congress legislators including the liquor and sand mafia)

(Lauds work done by NK Sharma, assures he will be rewarded with cabinet berth once SAD forms govt)

Zirakpur (Dera Bassi), April 4 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had not cared to visit this assembly segment even once despite the fact that it was part of the parliamentary constituency of his wife Preneet Kaur even as he asserted that the erstwhile SAD led government had spent Rs 1256 crore on its development.

Addressing a massive public gathering here, the SAD President said Punjabis could not expect anything from a chief minister who was not ready to leave his farm house to visit a constituency which was on the outskirts of Chandigarh. “Capt Amarinder has visited his office only eleven times in four years. This is why the State has gone back on all parameters and all the facilities extended to the people by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal have been withdrawn. People are suffering with lakhs being taken out of the aata-daal and old age pension scheme even as facilities like free medicines in government hospitals and Sewa Kendras which were established to take the government to the people have been closed down”.

Stating that the chief minister was only concerned about giving clean chits to his corrupt ministers, Mr Sukhbir Badal said despite the fact that Social Welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot had been indicted by his own department’s Principal Secretary and accused of embezzling Rs 64 crore, he was given a clean by the chief minister. He said similarly Capt Amarinder did not take any action against three Congress legislators – Madan Lal Jalalpur, Hardyal Singh Kamboj and Gurkirat Singh Kotli who were running illegal liquor distilleries through their confidants. He said similarly outsiders from Rajasthan and Jammu had teamed up with Congress legislators to form a sand mafia in the State which was looting the State exchequer by mining sand illegally. He said while the State had suffered a loss of around Rs 6,500 crore in excise revenue, the State could not collect even Rs 100 crore out of the Rs 1,400 crore revenue projected by the Congress government from sand mining.

Stating that the SAD would probe all these misdeeds once it formed the government in the State, Mr Badal said we would also order a time bound inquiry into misappropriation of MNREGA funds. “Congress legislators are looting the State exchequer by establishing their own inter-locking tile factories and forcing the State administration to use them for MNREGA works”.

Mr Badal also lauded the service done by Dera Bassi legislator N K Sharma in the constituency. He said Sharma knew each and every street as well as problems of his constituents and was always keen to resolve them at the earliest. “Once we form the government he will be rewarded for the service he is rendering to the people by being inducted in the State cabinet”.

Assuring the people that the SAD would continue to safeguard the interests of the people, Mr Badal announced that once the SAD formed a government in the State it would not allow implementation of the three agricultural laws. He also announced that besides ensuring procurement of food grains on msp, the SAD government would also announce an msp for vegetables, fruits and milk. “Power tariff for domestic consumption will be halved while scheduled caste and backward class students will be given free education facility”.

Speaking on the occasion, former minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the chief minister had mismanaged the State to such an extent that its debt had increased by Rs one lakh crore in the short span of four years. She said the government had not fulfilled any of the promises made to the people be it increasing the outlay of the aata – daal, shagun and old age pension scheme. “However in direct contrast Punjab has witnessed an upsurge in false cases and repression”. She said once the SAD formed the government it would lay emphasis on special schemes for the welfare of women.

Dera Bassi legislator N K Sharma in his inspiring speech said the constituency was being discriminated against during Congress rule. He said the constituency had received a single cheque of Rs 25 lakh from Congress MP Preneet Kaur in the last four years which had also bounced. He urged the SAD President to make Zirakpur a Corporation town once the SAD forms the government in the State besides calling for establishment of a 200 bed hospital at Zirakpur and a Girls College at Lalru.

Senior leaders Sikander Singh Maluka and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema were also present on the occasion.