Capt Amarinder lashes out at Badal for undermining authority of Sikh institutions

FATEHGARH SAHIB : Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today lashed out at the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for subverting and undermining the authority of various Sikh institutions like the Akal Takhat.
“Tell me what sort of Sikh you are?” he asked Badal while pointing out how he had subjugated the people like the SGPC president and Akal Takhat Jathedar and made them works as his personal subordinates.Capt Amarinder also expressed grave concern over the deteriorating standard of education in the government schools saying there was a great chasm when it came to education of the children belonging to the rich families and those belonging to the poor families, which needs to be bridged. Addressing a largely attended political conference organised by the local MLA and AICC secretary Kuljit Singh Nagra on the occasion of Shaheedi Jor Mela in memory of Sahibzada Zorawar Sigh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, here today, Capt Amarinder questioned even the Akali credentials of the Badals saying the true Akalis were well meaning people unlike Badal, who only was concerned about his own and family’s interests. Questioning the claims of Badal about safeguarding the interests of the Sikhs, he pointed out, it was the Congress government led by him in 2002 which had announced setting up of women and childcare hospital in memory of Mata Gujri. But, he regretted, the Badal government did not complete it and had instead tried to sell it off, which was got stopped by Kuljeet Nagra by filing a public interest litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Referring to the incidents of sacrilege at Bargadi in Kapurthala in the month of November and the use of brutal force unleashed by Badal on the peaceful protestors there, the PCC president said, such incidents reminded of the Mughal atrocities on Sikhs.
“Punjab needs change and it cannot change till this government is not thrown out”, he said amidst a thundering applause and shouts of Bhole so Nihal, while appealing people to throw out this government to save Punjab. He pointed out, how the Badals had brought the state to the brink of bankruptcy with the treasury remaining closed for most of the time. While, he added, they keep on building seven star hotels for themselves.Referring to the alarming increase in the number of suicides committed by farmers almost every day, he said, he felt pained with these suicides. “The farmers are committing suicides because Badal has failed them as his minister was responsible for supplying spurious seeds and pesticides to them”, he said, adding, instead of ameliorating the farmers’ plight the Akalis had only looted and robbed them.Capt Amarinder referred to the miserably poor results in the government schools where 80 per cent students had failed their exams. He said, on the one hand there were children from rich families who studied in the private schools and who would score 98-99 per cent marks and get best jobs across India and even abroad, on the other hand there were other children from the poor families who go to the government schools but are not able to score good.He pointed out, majority of the children go to government schools and the standard of education needs to be improved there so that they get good jobs and regretted that like other sectors, the Badals had failed the education sector also.Referring to the widespread unemployment, he said, Punjab needed investment and industrialisation. “The government of its own cannot provide many jobs but it can formulate policies which will attract investment that will eventually lead to generation of jobs”, he said, adding, “but this government has failed to win the confidence of the investors.