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Chandigarh, March 9
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Harpal Cheema said described the drama enacted by the ‘tainted’ cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and Ludhiana Member of Parliament (MP) Ravneet Singh Bittu at against the alleged ‘loot’, at Ladowal toll plaza as a mere ploy to divert peoples’ attention from his (Ashu’s) alleged involvement in Ludhiana Grand Manor Homes scam. He said that the Congress party leaders were resorting to cheap theatrics to woo voters ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In a statement issued from party headquarters in Chandigarh here on Saturday, Cheema said why were the Congress party leaders staging protests against their own government in power at a time when elections were near. They should instead stage a protest at Captain Amarinder Singh’s residence since the ‘loot’ had been going for a long time now.
On the occasion, Deputy LoP Sarvjit Kaur Manuke said that the Captain-led government had failed on all fronts. The tall promises it made to the people of the state ahead of Assembly elections stood unfulfilled, she said. Manuke further added that CM Captain Amarinder Singh the state government had also retracted on the assurance of holding an inquiry into the Ludhiana land scam on the floor of the House as nothing had come out of the discourse. This was nothing but a mere well thought-out design of the government to offer a protective cover to Ashu. She alleged that Bittu and other leaders of the Congress party were indulging in cheap political gimmicks to entice voters ahead of the Parliamentary elections.
AAP Bathinda (Rural) MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby said that there was an atmosphere of lawlessness in the state with the land mafia, sand mafia, transport mafia, liquor mafia, et al ruling the roost under the political patronage of the government in the saddle. This also reflected the ruling government’s bonhomie with the Badals, the powerful transport mafia lords. She said the leaders should work for the aggrandizement of the state than to just grab eye balls by indulging in cheap political gimmicks.
hey He advised the Congress leadership should stage a dhanwhen the ‘loot’ had been going for a long time and why . Cheema questioned Why they the that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had come with no concrete proposals for the ‘jawans’ or for ‘kisan’, both touted to be the backbone of a country. He accused the Amarinder Singh-led government in the state of playing ducks and drakes with public money to make the rally a success and to ensure winnability in the polls.
Reiterating the promises that the government made to the farmers in the state, Cheema said that the farmers were in deep distress due to huge farm loans on their heads while the dispensation was unmoved to come to their rescue. He said the government had belied hopes and aspirations of the farming fraternity by retreating on loan waiver.
Cheema expressed his serious concern over the galloping pace at which the poor, landless farmers and farm laborers, were forced to commit suicides for many reasons than one. He said they are fighting for their rights, albeit by holding protests across the state. He said that the state government was solely responsible for forcing them to block road and rail traffic in the past and bringing the traffic to halt, much to the inconvenience of the people
He said that the Captain Government had splurged a boon on the Rahul rally causing a deep dent in the cash-strapped state’s exchequer. He said that Congress chief should have come up with soldier/farmer-friendly proposals to bring cheer on their long-drawn faces.
Cheema urged the government to take initiatives to mitigate the farm distress faced by the community by allowing complete loan waiver and address their other issues, which, he said, had been hanging fire for a pretty long time now thereby bringing a visible cheer to their faces.
