GHANAUR: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the advent of the SAD-BSP alliance government in Punjab would witness an increase in social welfare schemes and that the old age pension would be increased from Rs 1, 500 per month to Rs 3, 100 per month and the shagun benefit to brides from weaker sections would be increased to Rs 75, 000.
Addressing a large public gathering here in favour of party candidate Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, the SAD President said “we are also committed to restoring all blue cards which have been scrapped by the Congress government to ensure subsidized ration is available to the weaker sections”. He also announced that the women head of below poverty line families would also get an allowance of Rs 2, 000 per month and that all domestic consumers would get 400 units of free power per month.
Launching an attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mr Sukhbir Badal urged Punjabis to beware of its false propaganda. He said AAP and its Convener Arvind Kejriwal were asking Punjabis for their votes by asking them to give the party one chance. “The truth is that Punjabis did give a chance to AAP in the 2017 assembly elections and even made it the principal opposition party”. He said instead of raising the issues of Punjabis, eleven out of its twenty legislators shifted over to the Congress party. “Punjabis cannot trust such a party ever again”, he added.
Mr Badal also spoke on how AAP had sold all its tickets. He said AAP was fond of saying it would give tickets to ordinary persons but had given 65 out of 117 tickets to political turncoats. Speaking about the Patiala district, Mr Badal said besides giving tickets to turncoats from Patiala City and Sanaur, the party had also awarded the party ticket to a proclaimed offender in Sanaur. He also showed photographs to prove that the local AAP candidate Gurlal Ghanaur was mixed up with the drug mafia. “How can you trust such nefarious elements to safeguard your interests”, he added.
The SAD also spoke on how AAP had not implemented a single promise which it was making in Punjab in Delhi. He said AAP had not given a single rupee to any woman in Delhi for the last eight years even as it was promising Rs 1, 000 per month to all women in Punjab. He said similarly the alleged 200 units per month free power facility to people in Delhi had already proven to be sham with consumers being charged for the entire bill even they consumed one unit more than the prescribed limit. He said similarly Arvind Kejriwal was promising to regularize all contractual employees in Punjab, even as he was on record to have stated that contractual employees did not work if their services were regularized. “How can you trust the promises made by such a person?” he asked.
Stating that the SAD was the true representative of the panth and Punjab, Mr Badal said “we have always safeguarded your interest. We have always fulfilled all commitments made by us be it free power to farmers, making the State power surplus or launching the old age pension scheme, shagun scheme and the aata-daal scheme. In future also we will also implement all the promises made to you”, Mr Badal added.
SAD-BSP Government will restart old pension scheme for government employees : Sukhbir Singh Badal
SAS NAGAR(MOHALI): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today declared that the SAD-BSP Government would restart the pre-2004 old pension scheme for government employees of the state after assuming power in the state.
Addressing an impressive rally here in favour of party candidate Parvinder Singh Sohana, the SAD President said “we are committed to restarting the old pension scheme as demanded by government employees. We have taken into consideration all financial aspects for restarting the scheme immediately after the formation of the government”. He said simultaneously all anomalies of the seventh Pay Commission would be removed and that all contractual employees would be regularized. He also announced that the party was committed towards establishment of the Employees Welfare Board which would take up all pending issues of government employees and resolve them at the earliest. He said employees should have faith in the SAD which had earlier also implemented all promises made to employees including establishment of successive Pay Commissions.
Mr. Badal said that during last five years local MLA and former Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu had looted common people and was involved in multi crore scams of vaccines and Corona kits as health minister. He said that Sidhu had least cared for development of Mohali and whatever development of the city including the International airport, establishment of the Information Technology city, Indian School of Business and world class road network, had taken place during tenure of SAD led governments only.
Urging the people of beware of AAP and its false guarantees, Mr Badal said AAP claimed that it would give tickets to ordinary persons. “However it has sold all tickets to the highest bidder and 65 tickets have been given to turncoats. Even the Mohali ticket has been sold to property magnate Kulwant Singh who has also indulged in opportunistic politics by hopping from one party to another”.
Praising party candidate Parvinder Singh Sohana, Mr. Badal said Sohana was a truly local candidate from the Puadhi region who was not only aware about the problems of the people of the area but had a long innings of public service. He also assured the citizens of the constituency that the next SAD led government would restart the development of Mohali which had come to a standstill during Congress rule. “We will restore Mohali to its old glory and make it an international IT and trading hub”.