Bajwa sees red in Modi’s move to begin campaign from state Says by selecting Madhopur, Gujarat CM wants to polarise people on communal lines

Tuesday, 18/06/2013

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130618/punjab.htm#3

Chandigarh : Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa today asked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi not to initiate his party's poll campaign from Madhopur in Pathankot.

Addressing mediapersons here, Bajwa alleged that by kicking off the mission from Madhopur, a place located on the Jammu and Kashmir-Punjab border, Modi wanted to polarise people on communal lines. The PPCC chief also asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to clarify to the masses why he was supporting Modi, who allegedly was an anti-minority leader. He said it was ironical that a leader like Badal, who "championed himself as the saviour of the minorities", would himself be welcoming Modi to Punjab.

‘Industrial policy will benefit a chosen few’
The PPCC president said the recently announced industrial policy was an "incomplete" document and that the tax incentives announced by the state government were allegedly aimed at benefitting three prominent industrial houses of the state who were supporting the SAD-BJP government. He said the industry, as such, "would not benefit from it".

He said the textile manufacturers had already shifted base to Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat while the knitwear industry had moved to Baddi in Himachal. He alleged the industrial climate was such that the Tata group had closed its plant in Malerkotla as they were not given a power connection for nearly three years.

He challenged Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to give the name of a single project set up in Punjab during the SAD-BJP rule.

‘Govt planning to buy copter for Sukhbir’
Bajwa claimed the cash-starved government, which had recently purchased a helicopter for Rs 38 crore, now wanted to go in for the purchase of a fixed-wing aircraft for Sukhbir's use at a cost of Rs 60 to Rs 70 crore. He said even the present helicopter purchased by the government was being used to ferry the Deputy Chief Minister to and fro to Delhi every day.

‘New PCC body to accommodate all’
The Congress leader said the new PCC executive body will accommodate all sections of the society and that he was committed to take everyone along. He said he had been given the authority to constitute the new body and the executive would be finalised shortly.

Cong demand for memorial politically-motivated: SAD
The SAD has rubbished the state Congress demand for a peace memorial in memory of people killed during the days of militancy in the state, describing it as nothing more than "a malicious and politically motivated attempt" to ridicule Sikh sentiments. "PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa should ask the Centre to set up a repentance memorial for introspection by the Congress," said SAD secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa in a statement here. Bajwa had questioned the Chief Minister's stand that the memorial could vitiate the state peace. The PPCC chief said Badal should explain how a memorial dedicated to the 30,000 people who lost their lives during the militancy period would prove dangerous. He said the memorial would instead help in healing the old wounds.