SAD will introduce MSP on fruits, vegetables and milk: Sukhbir Badal; addresses Punjab Mangda Jawab ‘dharnas’ at Kharar & Fatehgarh Sahib
Mohali, March 8, 2021:
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked chief minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to disclose one landmark achievement of his four-year tenure, saying people were fed up with the Congress party and now wanted him to tell why he had betrayed them.
Addressing the Punjab Mangda Hisab ‘dharnas’, which were held across all constituencies here, the SAD president said that instead of doing anything for the welfare of the people, Congressmen had presided over the loot of state resources by illegal quarrying of sand, liquor smuggling or embezzlement of NREGA funds. “Once the SAD forms the government in the state, we will hold an inquiry into all these illegal acts, particularly the loot of NREGA funds,” said Badal. He said Congress legislators had established cement tile factories and had forced village sarpanch to purchase tiles from them at inflated rates. “We will ensure all those guilty of such frauds are given their due punishment,” he added.
Sukhbir Badal also came down heavily on the Congress government for crying crocodile tears on the high rates of petroleum products. He said if the centre was levying a tax of 31 percent on petro products, the Punjab government imposed a tax of 27 percent. “The Congress government should reduce its VAT quotient to give relief to farmers and the common man.” He also pointed out that the state government had increased power tariffs by about fifteen times during the last four years, making power rates among the country's highest. “These should be reduced immediately.” He also debunked the Congress propaganda that the power purchase agreements with private thermal plants were responsible for the high power tariffs saying the government was getting power at Rs 2.80 per unit but selling it at Rs 10 per unit. He announced that once the SAD formed a state government, it would halve domestic consumers' power tariff.
Badal said the Congress government was also responsible for the plight of farmers agitating against the three hated Agricultural laws. He said it was the Congress party promised in its election manifesto in 2019 to repeal the APMC Act and allow inter-state trade in agricultural commodities. He said earlier the Congress government also amended the APMC Act in line with the three Agricultural Acts provisions.
The SAD president said, “once we form the government, we will launch a program to ensure all 12,000 villages in the state have concrete streets, access to clean drinking water, and sewerage system. We will also introduce minimum support price on fruits and vegetables as well as milk”.
The SAD held rallies across all 117 constituencies in the state, with senior party leaders presiding over them to demand answers from the Congress government for reneging on the promises made to the people.