Having stayed away from the foundation stone laying ceremony of the satellite centre of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Sangrur on Thursday, the sulking Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has now decided to honour chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal with "gold medals" for bringing the cancer hospital to Sangrur as well as investment to the state.
The gold medal awarding ceremony and a public meeting will be held at the very place where "Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held a meeting on Thursday".
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has tried to make political capital over a serious issue like cancer treatment, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, senior SAD leader and MP, said in a press statement.
He said people of Sangrur and the state were aware that it was the chief minister who had proposed the project and that the SAD was keen to honour him for the same.
"Accordingly, I will approach the chief minister on behalf of the party and request him to accept gold medal as a thanksgiving gesture on our part for the effort made by him to secure a satellite centre of the PGIMER for Sangrur," he added.
Dhindsa said similarly, he would also approach deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and urge him to accept gold medal on behalf of the party for his role in persuading investors from across the country to invest in Punjab. "The deputy CM's efforts have already started giving results with Infosys and Biocon ready to invest in the state, besides Tata," he said. "The enthusiasm of the SAD workers will be a barometer of the popularity of our top leadership vis-à-vis Rahul Gandhi."
{{/usCountry}}Dhindsa said similarly, he would also approach deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and urge him to accept gold medal on behalf of the party for his role in persuading investors from across the country to invest in Punjab. "The deputy CM's efforts have already started giving results with Infosys and Biocon ready to invest in the state, besides Tata," he said. "The enthusiasm of the SAD workers will be a barometer of the popularity of our top leadership vis-à-vis Rahul Gandhi."
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