Tohra: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said accelerated development of the state
was not possible without dislodging Congress in the next
general elections and forming a government of SAD allies at
the Centre.
Addressing the gathering at a function to mark the death
anniversary of former SGPC President Gurcharan Singh Tohra,
the Chief Minister termed the Congress party as the "number
one enemy" of the state.
Accusing the Congress of meting out step-motherly
treatment to the state, he said as a result of the party`s
"discriminatory policy", Punjab, which was once considered the
most prosperous and advanced state of the country, now lags
behind in many sectors.
He exhorted people to ensure defeat of Congress in the
next Lok Sabha polls, saying it was not possible to speed up
development in the state without forming a government of SAD
allies at the Centre.
The Chief Minister claimed that the vision of SAD-BJP
government has ushered in a new era of all round development
in Punjab and the state government would leave no stone
unturned to accelerate the pace of growth.
He reiterated that the need of hour was to ensure peace,
communal harmony and amity in the state so that tempo on
ongoing development could be maintained.
Badal lamented that some inimical forces were trying
to mislead the people about SAD by using the Panthic Agenda.
However, he said that, the SAD has always adopted the
`Panthic Agenda` as shown by the Sikh Gurus which include
welfare of all sections of society, communal harmony and
giving equal respect to every religion.
The Chief Minister said that raising slogans of hatred and
adoption of warpath always could not be termed as `Panthic
Agenda`.
Terming the construction of historical memorials related
to the Sikh history as biggest achievement of their previous
regime, the Chief Minister said that soon a state of art
memorial for depicting the role played by Punjabis in the
freedom struggle of country would be constructed in the Doaba
region of the state.
PTI
