Chandigarh: Police here on Monday used water cannons to stop Shiromani Akali Dal leaders and workers from heading towards the Punjab Assembly, foiling the party’s plans to “gherao” it in protest against the state government for its alleged failure in honour its poll promises.
Police took Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and other senior leaders to the Sector 17 police station in a bus and put them in preventive custody. They were released later.
Earlier in the day, the SAD held a rally at Sector 25 here.
Heavy security was deployed and barricades were put up by the Chandigarh Police to stop the protesting Akalis from moving towards the Punjab Assembly.
After the rally was over, Akali leaders and workers started moving towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. But they were stopped by police, who used water cannons to disperse them.
Addressing the rally, Badal asked Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to tell people why he “betrayed” each and every section of society by “failing” to implement the poll promises.
Badal also announced a “Lok Lehar” under which rallies will be held in all constituencies of the state against the Congress government from March 12.
He promised to reduce electricity charges, provide free education to Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes students, minimum support price for vegetables and fruits, potable water in all 12,000 villages of the state if voted to power in the Assembly polls next year.
He said the SAD will not implement the three new agricultural laws enacted by the Centre in Punjab.
Attacking the CM, Badal alleged Amarinder Singh has not only “insulted” people but also the holy Gutka Sahib by taking a false oath that he would implement a complete farm loan waiver once voted to power besides a host of other promises.
He said these promises included eradicating the drug menace within four weeks, ensuring jobs to each household, giving unemployment allowance of Rs 2,500 to youth, increasing the old-age pension to Rs 2,500 per month and increasing the Shagun outlay to Rs 51,000 besides providing free houses to the homeless.
“None of these promises has been fulfilled,” the SAD president claimed, adding that over 1,500 farmers have committed suicide in despair even as the government “failed” to give them the promised compensation.
“Old-age pension of five lakh families has been scrapped even as blue cards of six lakh ‘aata dal’ beneficiaries have been struck off the rolls,” he alleged.
“This is not all, the Congress government has hiked power tariff by more than 30 per cent and even increased the state share of VAT on petroleum products,” he alleged.
He said the state government should reduce its share of taxes on petrol and diesel before trying to indulge in “sham” ‘dharnas’ on high prices of petroleum products as was done by state Congress president Sunil Jakhar.
Asking people to tell one achievement of the Amarinder Singh-led government, Badal said in direct contrast, the previous Parkash Singh Badal government had made Punjab power surplus, built four and six-lane roads across the state, built irrigation channels and released lakhs of tubewell connections.
“The SAD is also responsible for establishing the MSP regime and Parkash Singh Badal is responsible for the establishment of more than 90 per cent of the agricultural mandis of the state,” he said.
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