FARIDKOT:Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi was not giving any social benefit to the people of Delhi under its Delhi Model and that it would end all social welfare benefits extended to Punjabis by S Parkash Singh Badal if elected to power.
The SAD President was addressing large gatherings in favour of Parambans Singh Romana in Faridkot, Suba Singh Badal in Jaitu and Mantar Singh Brar in Kotkapura.
The SAD President said while AAP had not extended social benefits like old age pension, aata- daal and Shagun in Delhi, it was also subjecting the people of Delhi to costly power at the rate of rs 12 to Rs 13 per unit.
He said AAP had also not extended the free power facility to farmers in Delhi. “Also Punjabis cannot trust AAP to implement any of the promises being made by it including Rs 1, 000 per month to all women and regularisation of contractual employees when it was not fulfilling these promises in Delhi. Employees in Delhi have been protesting since years demanding regularisation”.
Mr Badal said AAP was also trying to trick Punjabis into supporting it by asking them to give the party one chance. He said Punjabis were well aware of AAP’s past record on Punjab issues. “It filed affidavits in the Supreme Court demanding Punjab’s river waters be given to Delhi and Haryana.
It also demanded the closure of four thermal plants of Punjab besides calling for registering criminal cases against those indulging in stubble burning”.
He also lambasted Arvind Kejriwal for selling party tickets to the highest bidder.
He said the party was also vitiating the political atmosphere in the State by giving party tickets to persons against whom criminal cases had been registered.
Speaking about the Congress government, Mr Badal said it had closed down Sewa Kendras besides ending the CM Teerath Yatra scheme, ending distribution of sports kits and even stopping hosting of the World Kabaddi Cup. He said besides this the government had reneged on all promises made to the people be it waiving off agricultural loans, providing jobs in each household, extending unemployment allowance of Rs 2, 500 per month and increasing old age pension and Shagun scheme benefits to Rs 2, 500 per month and Rs 51, 000 respectively.
Asserting that the SAD did not believe in taking oaths like the Congress party, Mr Badal said “we have always stood by our commitments”.
He said the SAD- BSP alliance was committed to giving Rs 2, 000 per month to women heads of families of below poverty line families.
He said besides this the next alliance government would give five Marla plots to all those who did not have a house of their own. “Where village common land is not available for distribution to the poor we will purchase land and provide plots to the homeless”. He also announced that all those who did not have a single tubewell connection would get one on priority immediately after the formation of the SAD- BSP government.
Mr Badal also announced the next government would create one lakh government jobs and ten lakh jobs in the private sector.
He said the alliance was also committed to giving 33 per cent reservation in government jobs to students from government schools whose tuition cost would also be borne by the State.
He also announced that 75 per cent jobs in the private sector would be reserved for Punjabis.