SAD President receives tumultuous welcome at Ferozepur and Guruharsahai
SAD President receives tumultuous welcome at Ferozepur and Guruharsahai
(Thanks people for rising up against Congress goonda raj and showing solidarity with SAD)
(Says SEC not doing its job and demands it requisitions para-military forces to ensure free and fair municipal elections)
Ferozepur, February 3 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today received a tumultuous welcome here and at Guruharsahai while accompanying party candidates filing their nomination papers for the forthcoming municipal elections with people coming on the roads to express solidarity with him and the SAD.
Thanking the people for rising up in solidarity with democratic principles as well as standing up to the ‘goonda raj’ unleashed by the Congress party as seen at Jalalabad yesterday, the SAD President said “we are committing to upholding democracy as well as ensuring peace and communal harmony is not disturbed. The people will teach a lesson to the Congress party for using criminals and rogue elements to attack SAD candidates who had come to the SDM office in Jalalabad to file their nomination papers”.
Talking to newsmen, Mr Sukhbir Badal said it was unfortunate that the police and civil administration in the district were working as election agents of the Congress party. He said the situation was such that police officials were not even ready to listen to the district police chief and took orders only from the Congress legislators. “This is the reason why this district witnessed large scale irregularities and violence during the Panchayat Samiti elections earlier. The Congress party wants to capture the municipal bodies in the same manner but now the people have risen against them”.
Mr Badal said the State Election Commission was also not doing its job and that it should requisition para-military forces to ensure free and fair elections in the State. “I’m surprised why the SEC has not requested for para-military forces till now”, he said adding “the civil and police administration is incapable of holding free and fair elections in Punjab”. He said even now there was an imminent danger that Congressmen would try to do their utmost to get the nomination papers of Akali candidates rejected.
The SAD President also asked police officials not to ride rough shod over the aspirations of people at the instance of Congress legislators. “The SAD will form a judicial commission immediately after forming the government in the State and task it with probing all false cases registered during Congress tenure as well as look into the conduct of civil and police officials who became a party to repressing the people of the State”. While touring Ferozepur and Guruharsahai Mr Badal said the Congress party knew it had done nothing for the people and that was why it was now depending on goons to scare away opposition candidates. “I challenge the Congress party to hold free and fair elections to test its popularity among the people”. Mr Badal was accompanied by former minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi and Vardev Singh Mann
