The SAD chief warned officers to mend their ways or they would be put behind bars if Akali Dal formed the gove... Read More

BATHINDA: Accusing the Congress government in Punjab of promoting illegal activities, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) held a protest at Moga on Tuesday. Leading the protest, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that the Congress government was patronising drug peddlers, promoting illegal sand mining and framing his party men in false cases.

He also warned officers, mainly from the state police, to mend their ways or they would be put behind bars and dismissed from service if Akali Dal formed the government in Punjab 2022. He asked his party functionaries to prepare lists of the officers who were ill-treating Akali activists and registering false cases due to political considerations.

Addressing the sit-in, the Ferozepur MP claimed, “The finance minister is claiming that the state treasury is empty. I must tell you that it has not emptied by spending on development or welfare schemes but because the ruling party’s MLAs and ministers are minting money at the cost of state exchequer. Most of the MLAs of Congress and ministers are into smuggling of liquor from Haryana and patronising drug peddlers.”

“The MLAs are making Rs 1,000 crore per year from illegal sale of liquor. When we had left power three years ago, the state was getting Rs 5,000 crore per annum from excise collections, which now has come down to Rs 4,000 crore due to excessive smuggling of liquor from Haryana. The Congress MLAs have been allotted areas to sell the smuggled liquor in connivance with the police. Likewise, sand mining is at its peak and drug peddlers are being given protection,” he alleged.

He said as officials were framing Akalis in false cases on the directions of Congress men, a special investigation team(SIT) will be formed after SAD returned to power to trace the officers indulging in victimisation of SAD workers. “Such officers will be sent to the lock-up of the same police stations where false cases are being registered against Akalis and they will be dismissed from service,” Sukhbir said.

Targeting the breakaway outfit SAD (Taksali), Sukhbir said those who got all benefits during the Alkali regime were now stabbing their mother party in the back and people would never forgive them. Mocking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he said, “ Topi wali party da sanskar ho gaya. If AAP had got a chance to form the government in Pujab, it would have ruined the state. It is good that AAP didn’t win and is now finished.”

