Manpreet’s party won’t hurt SAD’s poll prospects: CM

Asked to comment about the possibility of some SAD members joining the new party, Parkash Singh Badal categorically said that this new party was not based on any principles. He said that only those persons could join it,be it from Shiromani Akali Dal or any other party,who would be denied party tickets during the forthcoming assembly elections. He said that had these persons not joined Manpreet they would have indulged in anti-party activities.

Referring to the debt waiver,Badal senior said that this issue was like making a mountain out of a mole hill as there was no proposal from the Centre regarding it. He said that had there been any proposal from the Centre on the issue how could the state afford to ignore it. He mentioned that he was thankful to the then Prime Minister IK Gujral who got the debt waived at his personal request.

The CM handed out huge grants at the Sangat Darshan programme and said that Punjab was the only state in the country to have a unique ‘Sangat Darshan’ programme to redress the day-to-day problems and grievances of the common man on the spot.

Earlier,the CM laid the foundation stone of a 100-bed Civil Hospital at a cost of Rs 15 crore and Community Health Centre at Rahon at a cost of Rs 5 crore with ultra-modern facilities to provide the best health care facilities to the people from nearby villages.

He also disbursed a grant of nearly Rs 5 crore for the execution of different development works in 92 villages. On the occasion he also distributed cheques under shagun scheme,widow pension and subsidy cheques for agricultural implements.

Sukhbir Badal on the other side said that to get cheap sympathy from masses Manpreet was blaming the government for stopping his buses. It may be noted that rally vehicles were stopped at Ludhiana yesterday and also there was no cable network in the state due to Manpreet’s rally.

On being asked that a large number of people from Malwa region attended Manpreet’s rally,he said that Malwa is the biggest region of state with 65 MLAs and it was natural that more people would be from Malwa than from other regions.

About expelling Jalandhar MLA Jagbir Brar and Manjinder Singh Kang,MLA from Beas from the party,Sukhbir said that the matter was pending with the disciplinary committee.