Capt invites Badal for debate on contribution
Tuesday, 29/11/2011
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111129/punjab.htm
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today challenged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to a public debate about their respective contribution towards Punjab. He also asked Badal to "stop using proxies for seeking awards like Panth Rattan, Fakhr-e-qaum and Nobel Peace Prize and instead have the courage and speak for himself".
Reacting to Badal's statement asking him to list one single contribution towards Punjab, Amarinder said, "I am not answerable to people like Badal, but I must mention that I tried to undo the wrongs that you (Badal) did to Punjab. I saved river water that you had forfeited to Haryana by accepting money from your foster-brother Devi Lal to construct the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal."
Amarinder asked Badal as how could he forget the Repealing of Water Sharing Agreements Act when he was a signatory to it in the Punjab Assembly's unanimous resolution, a step that he (Badal) had appreciated then.
Listing Badal's "contributions", Amarinder said, "You scripted the fragmentation of Punjab so that you could become a chief minister. Thanks to your Punjabi Suba movement due to which Punjab lost Himachal Pradesh and also the industrial belts of Faridabad and Gurgaon to Haryana. As a result, Punjab is devoid of precious industrial investment and the youth were denied jobs. Similarly, natural resources, particularly hydro resources, were lost to HP."
