Will not allow AAP-Congress ‘conspiracy’ to levy power bills on tubewells, says Badal

Faridkot (Punjab), Aug 4 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Friday said that’s SAD will not allow the AAP-Congress ‘alliance conspiracy’ to levy electricity bills on tubewell connections to succeed at any cost.

He warned the newly formed alliance not to try to discriminate against the peasantry which was already reeling due to the destruction caused by the AAP government’s manmade floods.

Addressing the media here, the SAD president said: “Now that AAP and the Congress have got together at both the national and state levels, they think they can take any decision they wish. I want to tell them that SAD will not allow any dilution in the free power subsidy given to farmers by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. We will launch an agitation in case this subsidy is tinkered with any manner whatsoever.”

Badal said AAP-Congress joint conspiracy to target farmers had been unleashed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Vidhan Sabha which was headed by Congressman Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and included several AAP legislators.

“The AAP government is keen to withdraw the free power facility being enjoyed by farmers on one pretext or another as it has mismanaged the state finances and is unable to give the due subsidy to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

“With the new electricity Act making it mandatory to give the subsidy amount in advance to PSPCL, the AAP government has involved the Congress in a conspiracy to do away with the free power subsidy completely.”

When asked about the upcoming local body elections, Badal said: “SAD will contest the elections against the AAP-Congress combine. We will highlight the complete stoppage of all development work in all major towns and cities as well as the AAP government’s failure to even maintain basic services.”

He said all towns and cities were suffering because the AAP government was spending hundreds of crores on advertisements and expanding AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s footprint across the country.

“We will call for an end to this wasteful expenditure and demand that due money be earmarked for development of towns and cities.”

The SAD President also highlighted how people were also “suffering” due to disruption and dilution of social welfare schemes.

He said while the ‘shagan’ scheme had been stopped completely, the government had diluted lakhs of blue cards which entitled people to subsidized flour which had affected the poor severely.