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Sukhbir targets AAP govt over Sutlej-Beas pollution
The Shiromani Akali Dal president said untreated effluents from industries and sewer lines had polluted the water of both rivers
BATHINDA Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (Aam Aadmi Party) government of failing to curb pollution in the Sutlej and Beas rivers.
At a political rally at Bhai Rupa village in Rampura assembly segment, Badal said untreated effluents from industries and sewer lines had polluted the water of both rivers. Water pollution was causing serious health concerns but the AAP government had failed to provide a solution, he added.
“The issue of river water pollution is serious and I want to eradicate it. Cleaning the Sutlej and Beas would be a top priority if the SAD is voted to power in the next state elections,” said the SAD chief.
Stating that the Akali leadership had a vision for the grassroots challenges that the AAP lacked, Badal said the late Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal was a visionary leader under whom Punjab witnessed unprecedented development in various fields.
“The concept of Meritorious Schools, a government-funded boarding institute, was the brainchild of Badal saab. The initiative benefitted numerous promising students who were coached to excel in their subjects,” said the former deputy chief minister.
The Mann government, on the other hand, had failed on all fronts, he claimed. “When both the AAP government in the state and the central government failed to support Punjabis during last year’s devastating floods, the SAD immediately came forward to provide relief,” he said.
Taking potshots at the Congress rally in Barnala, Badal said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had come to Punjab not out of any concern for Punjabis or to set any positive agenda for his party. “Rahul is here only to quell the dissidence in the Punjab Congress. He understands the party is on the verge of disintegration, with all of its leaders working to outsmart each other. Rahul is on a mission to save the party but will never succeed,” he added.
