KHATKAR KALAN (SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH NAGAR), MARCH 23: A buoyant and upbeat Congress today declared a war on a demoralised Shiromani Akali Dal during the martyrdom anniversary function of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev here today. This is the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh where both the Congress and the SAD-BJP alliance organised the rallies. Despite the misuse of official machinery the ruling alliance could not manage even half the crowd as compared to the Congress.The entire Congress leadership including the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh, the Congress Working Committee member and party in charge for Punjab Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak, Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Jagmeet Singh Brar, Ms Perneet Kaur, Ravneet Bittu and others unanimously resolved to defeat the Akalis who had not only failed the people of the state but had also let lose a reign of terror on the Congress workers.
Taking lead the PCC President Capt Amarinder said, the very fact that over two lakh people had turned up at the Congress rally against less than fifty thousand in that of the Akalis’ had indicated that there was an overwhelming mood for change in Punjab. “The sea of people in and outside the Congress venue only proved one thing beyond any doubt that the countdown for the Akalis had started”, he remarked . The PCC President said, the Congress workers had confronted so much resistance from the official machinery to discourage them from reaching the rally but nobody could break their resolve.
Paying glowing tributes to the great martyrs, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, he pointed out, they gave the prime of their youth for the freedom and independence of the country. He ridiculed the Akalis for their hypocrisy of holding functions in their (martyrs’) memory. “The very ideals our martyrs laid down their life have been betrayed and subverted by the Akalis and now they are paying tributes to them”, he said.
The PCC President reminded people and asked the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as how was it that when he joined politics he owned just 80 acres of land and now he is owning hundreds of acres of land in different states like Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. He asked Badal as from where did he get the money to build two huge hotels one worth Rs 1000 crores and another worth Rs 1500 crores. He said, every second bus running in Punjab was owned by Mr Badal.
Capt Amarinder said, it is just because Badals’ obsession for amassing personal fortune that Punjab has been pushed to bankruptcy. He pointed out, while the agriculture growth has gone down to less than four per cent, there are 44 lakh unemployed youth in the state. There is no industry, he pointed out, as the Akalis in general and the Badals in particular adopted hostile attitude towards them.
The PCC President asserted that the Akalis were already demoralised with the successful rallies the Congress had organised during the last few months. “But today’s mammoth rally here (at Khatkar Kalan) will prove to be the last nail in their coffin”, he said to a thundering applause from a mammoth crowd of over two lakh people.
Speaking on the occasion, the CWC member and in charge for Punjab, Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak said, the Congress’ history was distinct and unique. Paying tributes to the martyrs he pointed out the freedom of the country would not have been possible without their sacrifices.
Maintaining that only Congress could lead the country and the state to a better and prosperous future, he said, Congress and India could not be separated. The history of Congress and the history of the country have been running concurrently right from the days of the freedom struggle till now.
Thakur Charak said, seeing the sea of people at the Congress rally today had convinced him that the people of Punjab had made up their mind to ensure that the Congress returned to power. He congratulated the state leadership and the organisers of the rally for organising such an exceptionally successful show.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Ms Perneet Kaur, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, CWC member Jagmeet Brar, Punjab Youth Congress president Raveneet Bittu, Vijay Inder Singla, party MLAs and office bearers and others.