CM betrayed Punjabis by not releasing compensation to flood hit farmers till now – Sukhbir S Badal at SAD dharna in Ferozepur

CM betrayed Punjabis by not releasing compensation to flood hit farmers till now – Sukhbir S Badal at SAD dharna in Ferozepur

 (Says drug menace on the rise because AAP MLAs receiving monthlies from the drug mafia)

 Ferozepur, September 27 , 2023: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said chief minister Bhagwant Mann had betrayed Punjabis by not releasing compensation to flood hit farmers till now, even as he asserted that the sharp increase in the drug menace in Punjab was due to the shelter being provided to the drug mafia by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators.

Addressing a party dharna on the twin issues of the failure of the AAP government to provide compensation to flood hit farmers and the increase in the drug menace, the SAD president said “the AAP government is directly responsible for turning large parts of this region into a lake in July and is now running away from its responsibility to compensate farmers for the destruction caused to their paddy crop”. Asserting that the devastation caused in this region was not man made, Mr Sukhbir Badal said “this area was flooded when an AAP MP got all 38 gates of the Harike barrage opened in one go despite opposition from irrigation department engineers”.

Stating that even as the paddy crop in the area had been destroyed farmers were in no position to sow the forthcoming wheat crop because either gullies have been made in fields or tonnes of sand have been deposited in them. “With farmers not being allowed to clear the fields of the sand by the State government, another crisis is in the offing”.

Accusing the chief minister of not taking any flood protection meeting prior to the monsoons, Mr Badal said former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal used to not only take such meetings but also conduct extensive flood protection works including cleaning of drains. “This was not done by the AAP government which resulted in extensive damage not only to standing crops but to residential houses also”, he added.

While speaking on the issue of drug menace in the State, Mr Badal said it had increased because AAP legislators were extending protection to the traffickers. He said the hands of the police had been tied by the AAP legislators because they were receiving monthlies from the mafia kingpins. “This is why no effort is being made to arrest the kingpins and only lowly peddlers are targeted”. He also cited how the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had seized drugs from 66 liquor vends of Ludhiana after the chief minister refused to take action on information provided by the Governor on the sale of drugs from the vends. “The vends were however reopened within a month which is an indication of the control the drug mafia has over the AAP government”, he added.

Mr Badal also spoke on how the SAD had been defamed on the issue of sacrilege and the Kotkapura police firing incident. He said now it had come to light that two persons snatched rifles from Punjab Police personnel and that the bullet which hit a protester on the thigh had been fired at his back even as the police force was confronting the protesters from the other side. He also disclosed how leaders like Baljit Singh Daduwal and Dhyan Singh Mand were being used to weaken the SAD and questioned why they had not protested against repeated incidents of sacrilege in the recent past. He also spoke on the special effort made by him to get the PGI Satellite Centre approved from the centre, adding the land for the Centre had also been allocated by the erstwhile SAD government.

Senior leader Janmeja Singh Sekhon while speaking on the occasion said it was condemnable that the AAP government had not even released the Rs 6,800 per acre compensation which had been sent to the State by the central government. Former legislator Joginder Singh Jindu and senior leaders including Vardev Singh Noni Mann and Rohit ‘Montu’ Vohra also spoke on the occasion.