Will move high court if AIIMS not set up in Doaba, says Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 8

Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira today led a protest in front of the office of the district administration claiming that if the ruling Badal family did not shift the AIIMS back from Bathinda to Doaba as had been proposed earlier, he would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the matter.

Khaira slammed CM Parkash Singh Badal for taking the decision in favour of his daughter-in-law and Union Minister Harsimrat Badal for cheap political gains, depriving a major part of the state of the facility.

“It is a matter of shame that he is trying to corner all major developmental projects for his home districts of Muktsar and Bathinda. The allocation also exposes how helpless he is when it comes to the ego of his daughter-in-law,” Khaira said.

Khaira also attacked his arch-rival and former minister Bibi Jagir Kaur saying that she was least interested in the welfare of the people of her area as she has not uttered a word against the shifting of the AIIMS.

“BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia still has been somewhat vocal,” he said, hitting out at Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla.

“He represents the region at the Centre. At least, he should have shown the guts to not allow a project coming from PM Narendra Modi to go straight to the CM’s daughter-in-law’s constituency.”

The Congress leader told the gathering, “The CM had instructed the district administrations of Kapurthala and Jalandhar to arrange for 200 acres for the AIIMS. Thereafter, DC Kapurthala had sent a proposal of land belonging to Ramidi village on National Highway No. 1.”