Dinanagar (Gurdaspur) : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas to Punjab as well as bestow riparian rights over its river waters to State during his visit on January 5.The SAD President was talking to newsmen here after addressing a massive gathering in favour of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Kamaljit Chawla during the course of which he announced the next SAD- BSP alliance government would establish a cooperative sugar mill in this town.Speaking about the Prime Minister’s visit, Mr Sukhbir Badal said Punjabis had high hopes from successive Prime Ministers that they would undo the injustice done to the State over the last several decades. “ I urge Mr Modi to make a difference on January 5 by transferring Chandigarh to Punjab. Punjabi speaking areas which were left out of the State at the time of its reorganisation in 1966 should be transferred back to it. Similarly the riparian rights of the State over its river waters should also be bestowed to it”.
Mr Badal also expressed happiness that the PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur which had been secured by him for the State, would finally be inaugurated by the Prime Minister during his visit to Punjab on January 5. He said the medical facility would prove to be a boon for the border belt and urged the Prime Minister to ensure it was completed expeditiously.When questioned about the “letter bomb” in the form of a letter written by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Balbir Singh Rajewal and few other leaders aligned with him to the union home minister, Mr Sukhbir Badal said Mr Rajewal owed an explanation for his actions. “Apparently he was betraying the Kisan Andolan by trying to make secret deals with the centre behind the backs of the farming community. The entire matter should be probed”. Answering a query about the coming together of the BJP with Capt Amarinder Singh’s Lok Congress Party and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s SAD(Sanyukt), Mr Badal said “combining one non-entity with another doesn’t make any difference to the final product.
A zero hundred times over is still a zero. Punjabis know their arithmetic. This alliance will not make any difference on State politics”.While speaking about the recent vulgar outbursts of Pradesh Congress President Navjot Sidhu against State police personnel, Mr Badal said “ as if being a misguided missile was not bad enough, Sidhu is now shaming Punjabis by publicly resorting to vulgarity in his frustrated, maverick outbursts”. He said Sidhu had nothing to offer to Punjab except poison, hatred, limitless ego and arrogance.When questioned about two sitting legislators – Fatehjang Bajwa and Balwinder Laddi joining the BJP, the SAD President said though it was an internal matter of the Congress it was a reflection of the state of affairs of the Punjab Congress. “It is now clear that Congressmen realise their party is doomed and are jumping ship in droves”.Earlier the SAD President led an impressive road show besides conducting a door to door campaign in Dinanagar markets along with BSP candidate Kamaljit Chawla. He also paid obeisance at various historic temples on his tour of the constituency during which he was accompanied by Gurbachan Singh Babbehali. EOM