E-Paper
Sukhbir announces to contest assembly polls from Jalalabad
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday announced to contest from Jalalabad segment in the forthcoming assembly polls
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday announced to contest from Jalalabad segment in the forthcoming assembly polls.
Sukhbir, a sitting MP from the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat, announced it after launching a political programme “Punjab Mangda Jawab” organised at the grain market of Jalalabad town in Fazilka district.
A former deputy chief minister, Sukhbir, had represented Jalalabad segment thrice in 2009 byelection, 2012, and 2017. In 2019, he quit as MLA after being elected to the Parliament.
Meanwhile, the party leadership announced to escalate political drive against the Congress regime at a rally. It was the first major political programme after Punjab witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases.
At the event, pandemic norms were violated as hardly any leader or audience was wearing a face mask and social distancing was not followed.
Blowing the poll bugle with a blistering attack against chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Sukhbir said four years of the Congress was a period of brazen misrule and unkept promises.
Farmers, who had been promised a complete loan waiver for farmers worth ₹90,000 crore, ended with an additional burden of ₹15,000 crore loan because they did not pay their instalments believing the electoral promise made by the CM.
“Similarly, youth have been tricked into filling forms for jobs which materialised. No one received ₹2,500 per month unemployment allowance promised by the Congress party in the run up to the 2017 assembly elections,” he added.
Addressing the gathering, the SAD chief charged the Congress and AAP for fabricating charges of sacrileges against the Badal family under a political conspiracy.
He said the party would introduce minimum support price (MSP) on milk, fruits and vegetables, besides paying commission to arhtiyas for crop procurement if the Centre abolishes the traditional system.
Sukhbir counted development projects initiated by him to nurture Jalalabad constituency during the Akali regime.
“Congress MLA Raminder Awla had promised to start projects from family-managed industrial houses in Jalalabad but people feel cheated by the leader. Congress could not count any major development initiated by it in the last four years,” said Sukhbir.
