24 Jan : Secretary and spokesman of the All India Congress Committee, Manish Tewari today ridiculed the claims of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharitya Janata Party government in the state of being "pro farmers".
Addressing a series of meetings in different villages in the assembly segments of Jagaron, Dakha and Raikote, Tewari said the SAD-BJP alliance had never ever bothered about the interest of the farmers and were only interested in surviving in power.
Tewari pointed out, the BJP led National Democratic Alliance at the centre, of which SAD was part and parcel, had increased the Minimum Support Price for farmers by a meager Rs 30, while the Congress in just four years had enhanced it by Rs 300. Moreover, he added, even in the state farmers were not being given timely payment and the corruption was rampant.
Tewari lambasted the SAD-BJP government for non performance and wasting all the progress made during Congress tenure. "Corruption has been institutionalized as transport permits, TV cable network operations and sand mining has been grabbed through unlawful means monopolized by leading Akali families of the state", he alleged, while adding, "corruption has peaked and law of the land is flouted with impunity".
He observed, it was a matter of great pride for each and every Punjabi that the Congress chose a Sikh and the son of the soil, Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister of India. He pointed out, under the leadership of Dr Singh and Ms Sonia Gandhi, Congress has provided clean and efficient governance in the last five years and has been able to insulate Indian economy from the collapse of world economy.
He asserted the need to return Congress to power at the centre to continue the pace of progress in India. During the NDA regime every two months news paper were littered with news of corruption, nepotism and internal dissentions and their slogan of India Shining was rejected by the voters as the progress was limited to few wealthy and mighty.
Today Tewari Hatur, Burj Kular, Chakar, Lakha,Manuke ,Cheema, Kaunke, Chajawal and other villages and addressed jam packed congregations. He was accompanied by Gurdeep Singh Bhaini MLA Jagraon, Harmohinder Singh MLA Raikot, Malkiat Singh Dakha Former Minister, K.K.Bawa Chairman Housfed Punjab, Pritam Akhara, Inderjit Jhanji, Major Singh Bhaini, Kamaljit Singh Brar, Pawan Dewan, Kaka Grewal, Raman Kumar , Ramandeep Khera and Akshya Bhanot.
