TALWANDI SABOO, April 14: The Congress today gave a clarion call to the party rank and file to throw the corrupt Akali regime out of power to ensure proper development and welfare of all the people of the state. Senior party leaders including the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh, the leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and the permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar asserted that the Congress was certain to return to power in the next elections with no less than two thirds majority in the state assembly.
Addressing the rally Capt Amarinder Singh asserted that the Akalis had lost the confidence of the people as they had not done anything during the four years of their rule. He said, except for victimising the political opponents and robbing the state of its assets the Akalis had nothing to their credit.Responding to the demand of the local MLA Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu, who was the organiser of today’s rally, that the notification for acquiring 1.36 lakh acres of land of 41 villages in the Talwandi Sabo area, which was being acquired by the state government for ancillary units of the Bathinda refinery, be rescinded once the Congress comes to power, Capt Amarinder Singh promised that at the first instance he will not allow this to happen. But, he added, in case the government went ahead with the decision he would repeal it once his party comes to power.
He said, his government will also repeal the sale of Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to a private party and in case the government went ahead in converting the Khalsa College Amritsar into a private university to be owned by the Majithias, he will cancel that also.
The PCC President regretted that this government was so insensitive towards the concerns of the people. He said, there was no point in robbing the farmers of their productive land to give it to the industry. He pointed out, the government which was claiming to be the guardian of the farmers’ interests had never watched these.
Capt Amarinder also reminded the people as how he saved the waters of Punjab by bringing in a law in the legislature. He said, if Mr Badal would have wanted he could also have done the same thing, but he was only interested in exploiting the sentiments of people that served him politically. “While he (Mr Badal) got people jailed and killed by his morchas, he himself spent comfortable time in government rest houses by getting himself arrested”, Capt Amarinder disclosed.
Ridiculing the statement of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that in case the wheat was not procured properly in Punjab it might lead to law and order problem, PCC President said, he (Mr Badal) was trying to run away from his responsibility.
Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for announcing Rs 50 bonus for wheat, Capt Amarinder Singh asked why Mr Badal cannot also announce Rs 50 more by the state government. Instead, he regretted, Mr Badal was trying to blame central government for everything. He reminded Mr Badal that it was during the Congress led UPA government that Rs 450 bonus had been given on wheat so far, while the NDA of which Mr Badal’s Akali Dal was a party, had given just Rs 50 in six years.
Speaking on the occasion the permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar promised that he would ensure that Capt Amarinder Singh again becomes the Chief Minister of the state after the elections are held in 2012 and that too with two thirds majority.
Addressing the rally, Bibi Bhattal declared that the days of the Akali Dal were over. He said, the Akali Dal was no more a political party but a private limited company of the Badals.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Mr Lal Singh, Avtar Brar, Raninder Singh, Darshan Brar, Joginderpal Jain, Arvind Khanna, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Makhan Singh, Naresh Kataria, Mangat Rai Bansal and others.