Amritsar: Expelled Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Sunday announced that he along with his supporters would start a movement next week to get the state liberated from "corruption, drug addiction and other social evils".
Manpreet said that November 24 onwards they would move in all the 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab in as many days to get feed back for formation of a "new Punjab". The yatra would begin from Faridkot.
He told reporters that he and his supporters were of the view that no political party should be formed at this stage. "We will go to the people to know their needs and problems before further action."
Punjab, which was once number one state in the country, was today plagued with all ills. "The corruption has been institutionalised, the drugs are common, 40,000 unemployed youths are looking for jobs, the education system and health services have collapsed," he alleged.
Attacking the SAD-BJP government in the state, he said posts in various departments were lying vacant but government had no funds to pay salaries. "The economy of state has collapsed".
Due to corruption and lawlessness, the investors were not coming to Punjab. The NRI`s who are biggest asset of state are not ready to invest.
Manpreet said that 50 per cent quota in legislature should be reserved for youth and women. No MLAs be made minister for more than two terms, two blood relations should not serve in the same cabinet and VIP culture in the state must come to an end.
He further said that there should be zero tolerance towards corruption, special courts be formed to deal with corruption and drug cases which must be cleared in one year`s time.
He opposed opening liquor vends in village peripheries.
Manpreet said he was not against subsidies. Small and marginal farmers should get subsidies but why big farmers should get such benefits, he asked.
50 percent of total beneficiaries of free electricity were big farmers. The number of small and marginal ones who were benefited from free power was 50 only per cent, he said.
PTI
