Navjot Sidhu vows to end ‘mafia raj’ in state

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, August 5

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday vowed to end “mafia raj” in the state.

He was addressing a party workers’ meeting here that turned into a rally.

All local leaders – MLAs Harjot Kamal, Darshan Brar, Sukhjit Singh Lohgarh, former minister Malti Thapar, former MLA Vijay Sathi, and district president Maheshinder Singh were present on the dais. 

Claiming that the “mafia raj” was established during the previous SAD-BJP government, Sidhu said it continued to propagate afterwards, which needed to end in order to pave the way for a clean and transparent government.

“I know the Akalis and some leaders among us are hand-in-glove with each other, bought lands together and run businesses jointly. We have to show them the door,” he said to a cheering crowd.

Commenting on Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and local Akali leader Jathedar Tota Singh, he said, “Moge te tota behan ni dena, jija-saala rehan ni dena,” which received a round of applause from the audience.

He alleged that the Badal family was responsible for the fiscal mess in the state. “Sukhbir Badal is a liar who is making false promises of giving 400 units of free power to consumers at a time when the state is under a debt of Rs 3 lakh crore. I would like to ask Sukhbir from where he will bear the expenses of such populist announcements,” he asked.

“The Congress is committed to providing cheaper power to the consumers and also continuing free power to the farmers,” he said while announcing that his government would cancel all power purchase agreements with private power manufacturing companies in the coming Vidhan Sabha session, which would pave the way for supply of cheaper power to the consumers.

“We will also bring Bills in the Vidhan Sabha to annul the three controversial farm laws so that they cannot be implemented in the state,” he said, adding that the Congress stood by the farmers to meet their demands.

While stressing the need to increase revenue of the state government, Sidhu said he would ask his government to review the mining,  excise and cable network policies so that the revenue could be increased for granting benefits to government employees, MNREGA workers, anganwari workers and all contractual employees, besides creating job avenues for the unemployed youth.