Balwant Garg, Tribune News Service
Lambi (Muktsar), October 23. Till some days back, former Punjab Chief Minster Surjit Singh Barnala was not “important” enough to require a comment in the political speeches of SAD (B) in this area. But now for the past few days after Barnala joined hands with Manpreet Badal, forming the Sanjha Morcha, while the Congress has been relegated to second position, the frontrunners are Barnala and Manpreet in the Akalis political diatribes.
Time and again, Badal claimed that the Sanjha Morcha has no political or social base, but now he is dubbing both Manpreet and Barnala as traitors and political defectors, bereft of credibility.
The people will teach these defectors a lesson, said Badal, while addressing a public gathering during the Sangat Darshan programme in Lambi constituency villages today. “People know that if these leaders were not faithful to their own party than how they can be faithful to them”, Badal said.
It was only after a bitter verbal attack on Manpreet and Barnala that the CM turned to the Congress-led UPA government, blaming it for all problems confronting Punjab.
Criticising the Congress, Badal alleged the party was hand in glove with petroleum companies to the disadvantage of the common man. He said 30 per cent increase in the petroleum prices during the current regime of UPA speaks about the ideology of the government which claims to be the votary of the common man.
However, the Chief Minister avoided the reply to a question about Punjab charging maximum, 33.36 per cent VAT and sales tax, on petrol in the country. Though the CM blamed the Congress for unemployment in the country but Badal himself faced a protest by unemployed youths today during the Sangat Darshan programme in Middu Khera. Over one dozen unemployed linemen barged into the barricaded and cordoned-off area and raised slogans against the state government and the CM.
While the police had just controlled the linemen, another batch of protestors, led by three unemployed women computer teachers, entered the Sangat Darshan area, demanding the CM to provide them employment. The police faced a tough time in controlling the protestors and rounded up 50 of them.
