Badal plays kisan card to woo voters

Badal called for bringing in the NDA,in which the Akalis were a partner,to help remove all problems faced by the agrarian state.

He also supported the candidature of Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal from the Fatehgarh Sahib (Reserve) seat.

Playing the kisan card,Badal said though Punjab farmers produced 70 per cent of foodgrains for the Centre’s kitty,they did not get much in return. He also highlighted the development initiatives taken during the SAD-BJP regime,and listed out his development agenda over the next three years.

Atwal and Cooperation Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh also spoke on the occasion. Badal disbursed cheques for development grants worth Rs 14.8 crore for Amloh and Sirhind.

He also laid the foundation stone of a railway overbridge at Sirhind,a Rs 26-crore project.

Priority tubewells for panchayats

The CM announced that the government would provide tubewell connections to village panchayats and religious institutions on priority basis,for all community projects. He also got back at an Akali leader,who had derided him as a 83-year-old holding on to the reins of the state. “I am not old,and anyone is free to test me on this front. I am sure that the Akali leader will be unable to follow my daily rigorous schedule and leave even before the end of a week.” When Akali leaders repeatedly reminded Badal of various schemes for their respective areas,Badal told them that his mind worked like a computer,and anything told to him got registered.