CHANDIGARH, January 29: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today asked seven questions to the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal saying people of Punjab wanted to know the answers since he was seeking a fifth term as the Chief Minister.
The questions related to his burning the copies of the Constitution of India in 1984 and promoting extremism and provoking youth, his immense wealth, claims about development, accepting money for the construction of the Satluj-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL), his investments in Haryana and abroad, dual constitution of Akali Dal and breaking and splitting Punjab into pieces for vested interests.
Capt Amarinder asked Mr Badal as why his party SAD had two constitutions one for the SGPC elections, where it claims itself to be a panthic party, and another for the parliamentary and assembly elections in which it claims itself to be secular party. He asked, does it not amount to political deceit saying something at one place and a different thing at a different place according to their convenience.
He asked Mr Badal as why did he burn the copies of the Constitution of India in New Delhi in May 1984 and whether he had any regrets about that and what is the guarantee that he doesn’t do it again if it suits and serves his vested political interests particularly after losing power.
Capt Amarinder Singh asked Mr Badal whether he had any regrets about breaking Punjab into small pieces just for one petty reason that the Akali Dal should be able to form government in Punjab so that he becomes the Chief Minister and in the process giving away precious resources and land.
He told Mr Badal that he had been raising hue and cry about discrimination with Punjab over water sharing with Haryana and whether it was not a fact that he as the Chief Minister of Punjab had accepted Rs two crores from Chaudhary Devi Lal the then Chief Minister of Haryana for the construction of Satluj Yamuna Link Canal in Punjab. He asked, when he had himself accepted the money from Mr Devi Lal what moral authority or right he had to set up morcha for saving Punjab waters.
In the same context, he asked Mr Badal, as why had he made all his investments in Haryana only and nothing in Punjab. He pointed out, his farm houses and two super-luxury seven star hotels worth Rs 4000 crores were located in Gurgaon, Haryana and not in Punjab.
The farmer Chief Minister asked Mr Badal what magic wand did he wave that he accumulated such huge wealth that includes fleet of vehicles, television channels, two super luxury seven star hotels in Gurgaon, an airlines company in the name of Orbit Aviation and hidden assets within and outside the country.
About development claims, he asked Mr Badal had there been any development in the state people should be better off and not poorer. “You have left state poorer by seven lakh families more during the last five years of your rule”, he told Mr Badal, while asking, “is that what you call development?”