PHAGWARA:Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today announced the SAD would extend free education facility to scheduled caste and backward caste students once it formed the government in Punjab, even he promised to establish a University in the name of Babasaheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the Doaba region.
The SAD President was addressing a massive rally as part of the party’s State wide protest against SC Welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and his co-conspirator – former SC Welfare department Director turned Congress legislator Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal. He assured SC students that once the SAD was returned to power Dharamsot would be put behind bars within one month and the Rs 64 crore embezzled by him and his gang would be recovered and returned to SC students.
Sukhbir Badal also led a march to the residence of Phagwara mla Balwinder Dhaliwal and held a dharna close to it.
Earlier at the rally, Badal said once the SAD came to power it would extend free education facility to SC and BC students up till graduation level. “This will be among the first decisions of our government”, he said adding a University in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar would be established within one and a half years of the tenure of the SAD government.
The SAD President also took on chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh asking him to tell one thing he had done for Punjabis in the last four years. He said forget doing anything, the chief minister had cut benefits extended to the SC and BC community by S Parkash Singh Badal during the last four years. “Old age pensions and blue cards have been deleted in lakhs. Shagun benefit is not being extended to under privileged brides. Sewa Kendras have been closed down. Employees are not being given Dearness Allowance even as the Pay commission is being deliberately delayed. However, even as the people are suffering, Congress legislators are indulging in open loot by running liquor and sand mafias and taking monthlies from drug smugglers. This is the real reason why the State coffers are empty”, he added.
Later, when questioned by the media on the economic blockade of the State, Sukhbir Badal said the BJP led government should hold talks with the farmer organizations and start freight train services to Punjab immediately. He said the centre should not put conditions for start of train services to Punjab and that this attitude was not good for democracy.
Speaking on the occasion, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia also took on the State BJP leadership for failing the SC community. He said the State BJP leadership had approached the union social justice and empowerment minister and demanded a central probe against Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. He said nothing came out of the matter and that the State BJP did not even hold a protest against Dharamsot. He also showed papers to show how Dharamsot was also looting the State exchequer by committing irregularities in the forest department which was also under him.
Speaking on the occasion, senior leaders including Dr Charanjit Singh Atwal, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Pawan Kumar Tinu, Sohan Singh Thandal, Mohinder Kaur Josh, Gurpartap Wadala, Sarabjit Singh Makkar, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, Baldev Singh Phillaur, Bachittar Singh Kohar, Chandan Grewal and Sarabjot Sabi assured the congregation that the SC scholarship scheme would be revived immediately after the SAD government was restored to power in the State. They also assured that the Guru Ravidas Sahib memorial at Kuralgarh would be completed by the SAD government. EOM