People's Party of Punjab president Manpreet Singh Badal on Monday said Parkash Singh Badal would go down as a failed chief minister.
He said that while Badal's becoming the chief minister for the fifth time amounted to creating history, his track record would be that of non-governance and expansion of his family business coinciding with his stints as chief minister.
"It is both ironic and tragic that the five-time chief minister has no achievement to write home about. Lachhman Singh Gill became the chief minister for a short duration but people still recount his contributions to the state. Partap Singh Kairon's name is associated with the development of undivided Punjab," he added.
Commenting on Badal's interaction with the media here on Sunday, Manpreet said it was interesting that he ducked questions on the business interests of his family that had seen an exponential expansion in direct correlation to the period of his coming to power, especially since 1997.
"It is an open secret that government policies have been tailored to suit their business interests, including the luxury buses that are now repeatedly in the news for their drivers having the licence to kill," Manpreet alleged.
He urged the chief minister to refer to the Shiromani Akali Dal's manifesto of 2007 and 2012 assembly elections and list the promises that had been kept. He said the amount of old-age pension and Shagun scheme had not been revised even in the fourth year of the government.
{{/usCountry}}He urged the chief minister to refer to the Shiromani Akali Dal's manifesto of 2007 and 2012 assembly elections and list the promises that had been kept. He said the amount of old-age pension and Shagun scheme had not been revised even in the fourth year of the government.
{{/usCountry}}He dismissed the government as a symbol of non-governance, inefficiency and corruption.
Commenting on Badal's assertion that the relationship between the SAD and BJP was that of a husband and wife and that the two would contest the 2017 assembly elections jointly, Manpreet said that the BJP of late had been viciously attacking the Akali leaders and that too publicly.