Kauli April 11:
Welcoming
the decision of a Delhi Court to reopen case against senior Congress
leader Jagdish Tytler for inciting the mob during anti-Sikh riots of
1984, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that atlast a
ray of hope has rekindled amongst the Sikhs in general and aggrieved
families of the riot victims in particular, for getting justice.
Talking
to the media persons after attending a function to mark the death
anniversary of former Akali MLA Jathedar Jasdev Singh Sandhu here today,
the Chief Minister said that it was unfortunate that even after passing
of more than 30 years justice alluded to the victims of these riots
which were led by senior Congress leaders. He said, “It is ridiculous
that the national Congress leadership instead of punishing the guilty
responsible for this inhuman and barbaric act was shielding them for
reasons best known to it”.
Badal
rued that the Congress at the helms of affairs had deliberately
derailed the dispensation of justice to the victims of this holocaust
and rubbed salt into their wounds by rewarding the guilty with coveted
posts. He said that the Congress has always meted out a step motherly
treatment with the state by adopting different yardsticks for Punjabis.
The Chief Minister said that it was the height of apathy that the Union
government has always hurt the sentiments of the Punjabis in general and
that of Sikhs in particular by irrelevantly meddling in their social,
economic, political and even religious issues.
Assailing
the Congress led UPA government for its anti-Punjab stance, Badal said
that due to the wrong policies of the Union government the farmers of
the state who had played a pivotal role in making the country self
reliant in food production was on the verge of economic disaster adding
that due to its adverse policies even the industry of the state has also
been ruined. Replying to another query, the Chief Minister
categorically said that the decision to hike the rates of power in the
state was taken by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission
and the state government had hardly any role in it as the Commission was
an autonomous body constituted under the act of the Parliament. However
he said that the hike might have been necessitated due to the high
expenditure being meted out to supply the power by the POWERCOM.
Badal
pointed out that the hike in Punjab has been 9.06% whereas in Haryana
the hike has been that of around 12%. Terming the Goa Vichar Sammellan
as an internal matter of the party, the Chief Minister said that almost
every party of the country frequently does such exercise to ensure flow
of new ideas and overcome their weaknesses. He said that the sammellan
had been very fruitful as it provided them with an occasion to
introspect the working of their government and ministers.
Paying
floral tributes to Jathedar Jasdev Singh Sandhu the Chief Minister
described him as the lighthouse of the Akali Dal and an encyclopedia of
the Panthic issues. He said that Sandhu had throughout his life
championed the cause of the weaker sections of the society adding that
he had played a pivotal role in the spread of education in the area.
Badal also lauded the contribution of Sandhu family in serving the
people of the state with full dedication and commitment.
Exhorting
the spiritual leaders across the state to play a proactive role for
promoting education and curbing the menace of drugs besides other social
maladies in the state, the Chief Minister said that it was the need of
the hour that the ‘Sant Samaj’ and the spiritual leaders should make all
out efforts for preaching the tenets of Sikhism, which could play a
pivotal role in curbing social evils that had plagued the society. He
said that the state government would extend all support and co-operation
to the spiritual leaders in this noble cause.
Badal
also impressed upon the people to follow footsteps of our great Gurus
who preached us to serve the mankind with utmost dedication and
devotion. Dwelling on the need to impart quality education to the
students of the state, the Chief Minister said that the state government
was committed for this holy cause for which 10 new colleges would be
set up in the state. He said efforts were afoot to revamp to entire
education system in the state to impart quality education to the youth
so that they could be gainfully employed adding he said that nine new
universities and 17 new colleges have been opened across the state.
Badal further said that due to the concerted efforts of the state
government Punjab today leads the country in field of education.
