Capt Amarinder running double engine govt in conjunction with BJP: SAD

Ludhiana: Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today said chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was running a double engine government in conjunction with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even as he demanded the suspension of the Punjab DGP and the Muktsar district police chief for failing to control law and order during the recent incident at Malout.

Mr Bikram Majithia was talking to media after welcoming former councilor Surinder Singh Grewal back into the SAD from the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP). He assured Mr Surinder Grewal all honour and respect in his former party and said LIP had suffered a big jolt with his departure.

Speaking about the manner in which Capt Amarinder was playing a fixed match with the central government and simultaneously shedding crocodile tears in Punjab, Mr Majithia said the chief minister never tried to oppose the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for government purchase of food grains. “All the chief minister did was ask for one year to implement the scheme which makes it clear that he was all along gearing up to implement the orders of the Modi government. This is why he never met the Prime Minister to oppose the imposition of the scheme in Punjab”.

Mr Majithia said the DBT scheme, which proposed transfer of payment for procurement of food grains to farmer accounts instead of through ‘arhatiyas’ as was the age old practice, was also mooted by the earlier Congress led UPA government. “However then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal prevailed upon Dr Manmohan Singh not to impose the scheme on Punjab”.
Answering a query, Mr Majithia said the Malout incident in which Abohar legislator Arun Narang was subject to an attack was the direct result of the Congress government’s inability to provide security to its citizens. He said the administration had been caught napping and the State police had failed to do its duty. “Both the Punjab DGP and the Muktsar district police chief should be suspended”. While asserting that no one could condone violence, Mr Majithia asked the BJP also to introspect as to why it was creating a situation which was leading to such incidents. He said farm protesters would also have to exercise restraint but said it was also wrong to impose attempt to murder charges on them.

The SAD leader also welcomed the grant of the “balti” symbol to the SAD in Delhi to contest the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) polls saying the conspiracy hatched by the motley team of the Congress, AAP and the BJP had been defeated by the high court judgment in this regard.

Mr Majithia also accused the chief minister of prolonging the suffering of the people with mindless lockdowns which he said would affect the common man the most. He said instead of taking steps to give a fillip to the economy by giving an economic package to those who had been affected the most by the lockdown, the Congress government was increasing electricity rates as well a VAT on petrol and diesel. He said this coupled with the total collapse of law and order had taken the State backwards with no investment and no development taking place in Punjab.

SAD legislative party leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon & Manpreet Singh Ayali were also present on the occasion.