Congress, AAP 'twin dangers' for Punjab, says Sukhbir Badal

Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday termed the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) the "twin dangers" that Punjab faces and appealed to people to uproot them from the state in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing people during his Punjab Bachao Yatra at Kotkapura and Jaito towns, he said: "The Congress and AAP have both looted Punjab during the last seven years. Only the SAD can put the state back on the path of development. The SAD is the need of the day and I appeal to you to support the party for a better future of the state."

Badal claimed that farmers, youth, Scheduled Castes, backward classes and trade and industry had all suffered during the last seven years.

"The Congress promised to waive off farmer loans but did nothing. (AAP's) Bhagwant Mann promised to give compensation for crop damage in advance but has not awarded any compensation to farmers despite three crop failures."

He also said that social welfare benefits were gradually withdrawn by both the Congress and AAP governments.

“Now things have come to such a pass that lakhs of people have been taken out of the ambit of the 'atta-daal' and old-age pension scheme to finance AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s travels and election campaigns," he alleged.

Badal, who was accompanied by senior leaders Mantar Singh Brar in Kotkapura constituency and Suba Singh Badal in Jaito, also spoke about the drug menace sweeping the state. He said hundreds of youth had fallen prey to drugs but nothing was being done to nab the traffickers.