Sukhbir Badal addresses rally in Mohali.
Sukhbir demands dismissal of State Election Commissioner, call him 'mute spectator' to violence
SAD spent Rs 3,000 crore on Mohali’s development: Badal
Harshabab Sidhu
Mohali, February 12, 2021:
“A corporation cannot do anything for the development of city beyond sanitation and cleanliness. The real power of developing of any city remains in the hands of state government. If Akali Dal gets chance in Vidhan Sabha polls, Mohali will see extensive development,” said Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today, while addressing the rally at Rattan Group of Institutes in Sohana here amid Municipal Corporation elections.
Sukhbir Badal reached Mohali today on the last day of campaigning for MC elecions, which is going to held on Sunday. Badal alleged that the state election commission is clearly hand in glove with the Congress party. “Unfortunately the state election commission had played into the hands of the Congress party and was functioning as part of the Congress organization. A large number of nomination forms of SAD candidates got canceled which is the result of biased attitude of this commission. No action has been taken on any of our complaints submitted. We demand immediate dismissal of the election commission,” said the SAD president. He added the SEC has remained a mute spectator to the violence unleashed by the Congress party on opposition candidates and their supporters. It has refused to call in the paramilitary forces to ensure free and fair polls.
Addressing the public congregation at Sohana followed by meetings in other wards in Mohali along with Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra and Charanjit Singh Brar, the SAD President said while the international airport, four lane road network, International School of Business and Infosys had taken ground during the previous SAD government, the Congress rule had witnessed rampant corruption and even usurping of common village land by cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu for personal profit. “This is the reason why don’t see any more investment being made in the city and this is also one of the reasons why the per capita income of Punjab is lower than the national average for the first time ever,” he said.
He added, “When the SAD government took the charge in 2007, Mohali’s condition was pathetic and the city’s position was last among tricity. But I took it as a challenge to make Mohali as a top city.”
Slamming the ruling party, Badal said even as the previous SAD led government had made Mohali the most progressive constituent of the tricity by spending Rs 3,000 crore in development works, the last four years of Congress misrule had witnessed an end to development as well as investment into the city.
Stating that latest statistics had also revealed that the State’s per capita expenditure was the lowest in the country, Badal said “In the last Congress government its top leader had claimed that the government had only managed to do patch work of roads. This time even patch work of roads has not been done, leave aside anything else. No foundation stone has been laid by the CM.”
While promising an inquiry against the health minister Balbir Sidhu in the drug de-addiction tablet scam, COVID-19 equipment purchase scam and takeover of panchayati land, Sukhbir Badal also took on former Mayor Kulwant Singh who has formed a splinter group to fight the elections independently to help the Congress party. He said whatever Kulwant had achieved was due to the SAD and now that he had decided to backstab his parent party and he and his team of turncoats would not be allowed to reenter the SAD. Talking about the SAD candidates in Mohali, Badal said the new team of SAD was ready to serve the people of city.
He also ridiculed Kulwant for trying to befool the people with false promises of constructing flyovers. “The Corporation is in a loss of Rs 25 crore, how will he get Rs 600 crore to construct the flyovers he has promised? Secondly, a mayor has to take the grants from the government and everyone knows that the previous corporation of Mohali had no money,” said the former Deputy CM.