Issru, August 15, 2017: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said it was unfortunate that the Congress government had befooled farmers in the name of loan waiver and was now betraying them by refusing to honour its promise.
Addressing a huge party gathering here to commemorate the martyrdom of Goa liberator Karnail Singh Isru, the SAD President said after promising a minuscule crop loan waiver scheme of Rs 1,500 crore against a total loan waiver of Rs 90,000 crore, finance minister Manpreet Badal was refusing to implement this by taking the excuse of financial stress.
"Manpreet Badal should not try to fool and cheat Punjabis. He was finance minister for four years during SAD-BJP rule. He knew the exact condition of State finances. He was also the head of the Congress election manifesto which announced the loan waiver promise. Now he is trying to run away from his commitment. This proves he had no intention of waiving off farmer loans in the first place".
Badal said the Congress government had also betrayed the youth of the State through promises of ghar ghar naukari even though the only job given till now was that to the grand son of former CM Beant Singh. He also alleged the government trying to befool youth by bringing the annual placement drive of colleges under the ghar ghar naukari yojna.
He alleged false cases were being registered against Akali workers out of political vendetta. But the party would fight it out by holding staewide priotests.
The SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said under the new government farmers were being penalised for believing the government. He alleged the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had visited Punjab to condole the death of two farmers but now when 200 farmers had committed suicide he was maintaining a studious silence.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Ranjit Singh Talwandi, Santa Singh Umaidpur and Ishar Singh Meharban