Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today asked newly appointed Pradesh Congress President Navjot Sidhu to tell Punjabis why he was patronizing the sand and liquor mafia instead of holding them responsible for the scores of deaths and open loot of the State exchequer.The SAD leader was here to attend a function which witnessed the joining of independent councilor Nirmal Kaur and former SOI leader Simran Dhillon back into the party. He assured due respect and recognition to the Dhillon family and said their return to the SAD fold would strengthen the party further. Youth Akali Dal (YAD) President Parambans Singh Romana Students Organization of India (SOI) Patron Bhim Waraich & SOI President Robin Brar were also present on the occasion.Mr Bikram Majithia said the alacrity with which Navjot Sidhu had embraced the sand and liquor mafias was condemnable especially when he had supposedly taken up cudgels against them earlier. “The mafia and those who patronized them including Madan Lal Jalalpur, Hardyal Kamboj and Gurkirat Singh Kotli are Sidhu’s biggest supporters now. The mafia has even taken on the responsibility of running the Pradesh Congress office in Chandigarh and this is why we now see Sidhu expressing gratitude to the mafia leaders from Congress stages”.
When questioned about the Congress government’s announcement that it was waiving off loans worth Rs 590 crore under the farm debt waiver scheme for labourers and landless farmers, Mr Majithia said the announcement was turning out to be hoax already. He said even before any waiver could take place the government had come out with pre-conditions which would make a majority of the supposed 2.85 lakh beneficiaries ineligible for the waiver. “The government has now come out with conditions that the beneficiary must not have paid back a single rupee and other such things which are being disclosed in the fine print of the scheme. It is nothing but a hoax which is being played out four and a half years after the Congress party formed the government in the State”.Speaking about Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal earlier, Mr Majtihia described him as a ‘circus ka khiladi’. He said Kejriwal had thoroughly exposed himself by adopting double standards on each and every sensitive issue conceding Punjab and its people. He said earlier the AAP chief had shed crocodile tears on the issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in Punjab but had gone back and field an affidavit in court demanding Punjab water be made available to Delhi and Haryana. “Similarly Kejriwal has also demanded that criminal cases be registered against Punjab farmers who burn stubble besides initiating a case in the apex court to demand the closure of four thermal plants of Punjab”. When questioned about the promises made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the SAD leader said in Delhi people were getting a conditional subsidy of 200 units per bill cycle which totaled a sum of Rs 1000 crore. He said in direct contrast, during the Parkash Singh Badal government a subsidy of Rs 10,600 crore was given to the people.Other leaders present on the occasion included legislator N K Sharma, ,Bibi Paramjit Kaur Landaran and Mohali Urban President Kamaljit Singh Ruby.