Sukhbir Singh Badal demands CBI inquiry into central ration scam

Zirakpur: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today demanded a CBI probe into the central ration scam saying Congressmen who had embezzled ration meant for the poor should be brought to book even as he asked the Congress government to reduced petrol and diesel prices by Rs 10 per liter.“Once the Punjab government reduces fuel prices by Rs 10 per liter we will ask the centre also to do the same”, the SAD President announced at a massive dharna here adding he had already written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reduce central excise on petrol and diesel. He also demanded the government ensure that no student of any private school in the State was victimized solely because his parents were not able to afford the school fee due to reduced income during COVID-19 pandemic. He said the State should compensate the private schools by submitting six month school fee of students in advance to them.Leading the dharna here, the SAD President said lakhs of Punjabis today came out in thousands of villages and ‘ardas’ on the call of the “Punjab Bachao” call of the SAD and displayed their seething anger against the Congress government and chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh for leaving them in the lurch during a time of pandemic. “People today hold the Congress government responsible for the hike fuel prices as well as increase of power tariff and other taxes because Congressmen have looted the State treasury through a series of scams be it the Rs 5,600 crore liquor scam, the Rs 4,000 crore seed scam or illegal mining or even the latest insurance scam”.Mr Sukhbir Badal thanked the people for coming out in lakhs to show solidarity with the SAD and force the Congress government and the chief minister who is busy only in gimmickry videos while locked up in his farmhouse to listen to the voice of the people. “Today every village and town in the State has passed a vote of no confidence against chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the days of the Congress government are numbered”, he said at Zirakpur along with Dera Bassi legislator N K Sharma who thanked him for the development of Mohali during SAD-BJP tenure and disclosed how every development work had come to a stop now during Congress rule.Senior leader and mp Balwinder Singh Bhundur said the people of Punjab had been left to their own fate during a period of pandemic even as Congress leaders were resorting to open loot by indulging in manufacturing and bottling illicit liquor besides cross border liquor smuggling. He said the Congress party had also discriminated against the poor by giving ration received from their centre to its own supporters only besides embezzling it and selling it in the open market.
Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia held a massive dharna in Majitha and demanded that both the centre and the State reduce fuel prices by Rs 10 per liter each. He said diesel was the costliest in Punjab as compared to neighbouring States, even as price of diesel has crossed that of petrol in Delhi for the first time since independence of the country. He said in direct contrast during the SAD- BJP government led by S Parkash Singh Badal, the price of diesel used to be the least in Punjab as compared to other States.Speaking about the victimization of school children whose parents were unable to pay their fee because they had lost their jobs or had suffered losses in their businesses, Mr Majtihia said the government should pay private schools six month fee of such children. He said this small gesture would go a long way in saving the future of children whose parents were unable to pay their fee. The SAD leader also detailed how State Education minister Vijay Inder Singla was hand in glove with private school managements and had played a friendly match with them to ensure they could charge admission and tuition fee from children despite closure of schools due to COVID-19.Leading a dharna in Ropar, senior leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the SAD was forced to come out and hold dharnas because the Congress government and chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh were following anti-people policies and putting unbearable burden on them during a time of pandemic. “People are looking for relief but the Congress government is putting more burden on them by way of increased power tariff besides other taxes”. He also highlighted how the sand mafia had been given a free hand by the Congress government due to which Congressmen were enriching themselves at the cost of the State treasury.The State wide Dharnas was led by Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra in Rajpura & Mohali, In Moga Jathedar Tota Singh In Amritsar Bikram Singh Majithia in Gurdaspur Gurbachan Singh Babehalli, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal and Ravikaran Kahlon. In Ferozepur Avtar Singh Zira including Vardev Singh Mann and Joginder Jindu. In Kapurthala Dr Upinderjjit Kaur and Bibi Jagir Kaur . In Ludhiana Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Manpreet Ayali accompanied Ranjit Singh Dhillon. In Jalandhar Gurpartap Singh Wadala including Pawan Tinu and Baldev Singh Khaira and Sarabjit Singh Makkar. In Patiala Surjit Singh Rakhra including Harpal Juneja. In Bathinda Sikander Singh Maluka was accompanied with Jagdeep Nikai, Sarup Singla, and Darshan Singh Kotfatta. In Mansa Balwinder Singh Bhundur along with Dilraj Bhundur, Jagdeep Nakai and Dr Nishan Singh.In Muktsar Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi and in Faridkot Mantar Singh Brar and Suba Singh Badal . In Sangrur Kulwant Singh Keetu was accompanied by Ballbir Singh Ghunas and Satnam Singh Rahi. In Hoshiarpur Sohan Singh Thandal, Mohinder Kaur Josh, Arvinder Rasulpur, Jatinder Singh Lalli Bajwa and Sarabjot Sahbi accompanied Surinder Singh.In Ropar Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Harmohan Sandhu and Paramjit Singh Makkar accompanied Paramjit Singh Lakhawal. In Tarn Taran Virsa Singh Valtoha, Harmeet Sandhu, Iqbal Singh and Alwinder Pakhoke.In Nawansheher Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi, Jarnail Singh Wahid and Budh Singh Balaki. In Fatehgarh Sahib Darbara Singh Guru, and Gurpreet Singh Rajukhanna