SAD focus is on development, says Sukhbir

He distributed cheques worth around Rs 5.40 crores to 59 village panchayats, including one for Rs 36 lakh to the Jaiton municipal council. Grants to 22 villages of Panjgrain block of this constituency were kept pending as the programme got delayed, otherwise the deputy CM was ready to distribute cheques worth Rs 7.86 crore to all the 81 village panchayats and even the urban areas. SAD is going all out to woo the vote bank as the Congress and AAP had been claiming that SAD’s downfall started from Jaiton constituency, Congress MLA of this constituency, Joginder Singh Panjgrain, had said this in his speech at Congress’s ‘Badlav’ rally held at Bathinda in December last year.

“The remaining villages will get the grants soon,” said Sukhbir. On Friday, he will head to Barnala for a sangat darshan and foundation stone laying functions. The first incident of ‘desecration’ of Guru Granth Sahib last year had happened in Bargari village, which is part of this constituency.

This was deputy CM’s first public appearance in Jaiton constituency after the Bargari episode. Interestingly, only village panchayats were invited to Thursday’s sangat darshan programme and most of them were reportedly SAD supporters.

Meanwhile, funds of Rs 2.3 crore were distributed on the spot to 33 village panchayats of Jaiton block while Rs 2.82 crore went to 26 panchayats of Bajakhana block.

Sukhbir also approved Rs 40 crore for storm sewer project in municipal council, Jaiton.