Law of the jungle prevailing in Punjab: Badal
Chandigarh: Former Punjab Chief Minister and Akali supremo Parkash Singh Badal today described the first two months of Congress Government in Punjab as “the summer of broken promises , failures, lawlessness , sacrileges, murders and vendetta against political rivals. Three dozen suicides and a sacrilege every other day is the highlight of this period during which government has already thrown all its promises into the dustbin.” “No one expected them to perform miracles which they had promises to perform but no one expected them to fail so miserably so soon and with such admission of helplessness,“ said Mr Badal. In a statement on the completion of two months of Capt Amarinder Singh Government in Punjab, Mr Badal said, “They formed this government with four main promises: Stoppage of acts of sacrilege, Drug eradication, loan waiver to farmers, jobs to every youth. They have done nothing so far except PR stunts on any of the four fronts. In fact, they give the impression of being the first government which looks like throwing up in the first two months itself, ” Mr Badal said. “Where is Karaza Kurki Khatam and Fasal di poori rakam” and where is “ik parivar, ik rozgar? Why are sacrileges on the increase? Have they controlled drug menace beyond what we had done? Can they name even one thing on which they have even tried to perform seriously to fulfill their promises ? In fact, they have even stopped talking about these now’ said Mr Badal. Condemning the wave of repression and vendetta let loose by government machinery in connivance with the ruling party, Mr Badal said “ It is jungle raj in Punjab now. There is no rule of law and there is no law and order in the state. People have been forgotten and all promises made to them have been broken. Punjab already looks like an abandoned state where the rule of the jungle prevails ” said Mr Badal in a statement here.These 60 days are only a trailer of the bigger failure which this government will be in 60 months, if they last that long”, said the five time Chief Minister of Punjab. “The only thing that people have seen in these two months is an ugly power struggle and a brazen war of succession in the ruling party. This war of succession is sapping all their energies and they have no time or energy left to attend to the problems of the people or issues of governance. There is a Chief Minister and there are three de facto Chief Ministers in this government, each trying to prove that he is the real power center. All their time is used up in this ugly race for the top post , that too when the incumbent is still in chair. That is all that will be remembered of the first 60 days of this government. And nothing is likely to change in the 54 months to come ,” said Mr Badal in a statement here . The former Chief Minister said that he had kept quiet for two months hoping that the new government would at least make a beginning towards fulfillment of its promises and putting an end to the tendency for political violence let loose against Akali workers by the ruling party. “I was hoping that they would at least make a good beginning based on the countless promises they had made. But it is clear now that they are not even talking of those promises. They are talking only of excuses to run away from these promises. I knew they were never serious about these promises but I did not expect them to sink so low so soon.” Commenting on the completion of two months of the Congress government in the state, the former Chief Minister said, “Forget about fulfilling promises, they have not even started working on finding ways to meet them. They have already admitted their failure to fulfil a sacred oath to finish drugs in four weeks. Now, they have started talking about the impossibility of waiving farmers loans and of inability to give jobs to the youth . Banks are refusing to extend loans as the government is refusing to fulfill its promise of repaying the farmers loans. Three dozen farmers have committed suicides which is proof of how little faith farmers have in the promises made by this government. They have gone back on the promissory notes on farmers loans and that has set off extreme frustration among farmers. Even they payment for wheat procured has been delayed.’ Mr Badal said three sections feel most betrayed by this government – the farmers, the youth and the poor section of society. They have let all three because apart from going back on their promise for an unconditional loan waiver, they have also forgotten about their promise of giving jobs one youth in every family in the state, which comes to roughly 60 lakh jobs. Despite tall talk, they ave not been able to bring even a single ruppess worth of investment promise in the state from any big business or industrial house. “The fact is that they have no time away fro setlling political scores thrugh violence.The only thing that has been making the headlines in these two months are the rivalries among leaders who look at the themselves as possible successors to the present incumbent . The pity is that this war of succession has started even before the “monarch” has found time to settle down.” Mr Badal said that the Congress formed the government on the basis of tall promises and false allegations“ Not a single promise they made before elections has been fulfilled, not a single decision on development taken, not a single welfare measure started. A government that promised to deliver in four weeks has spent two months going back on all its promises and inventing excuses for its failure.” —PTC News
