Bal Thackeray jumped the gun,says Prakash Singh Badal

“How many seats any party will get will be known later,” the Punjab Chief Minister said when asked to comment on Thackeray’s remarks.

On move by some parties to form a Third Front before the next Lok Sabha elections,Badal termed the exercise as “opportunistic”.

He,however,made it clear that the SAD is with the BJP and “any decision taken by them will be binding on all of us”.

On Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh’s demand to declare a financial emergency in the state,Badal said the state has witnessed unprecedented development during the SAD-BJP regime which the Opposition is not able to digest.

Badal was here to attend the ‘bhog’ ceremony of Satwant Singh Kaleka,who was killed in the shooting incident at Oak Creek gurudwara in Wisconsin in the United States on August five.

Badal said the sudden spurt in incidents of hate crime against Indians in different parts of the world was a matter of grave concern.

The Chief Minister said these incidents were “most tragic and unfortunate” and should be condemned by one and all.

He said the Centre should take up this matter at the highest level with the concerned governments across the globe.

Referring to the Oak Creek incident,Badal said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a letter had conveyed to him that his government had taken up the matter with President Barrack Obama.

On reports about Manpreet Singh Badal-led People’s Party of Punjab and the Congress forging an alliance,the Chief Minister said it was up to Manpreet and state Congress chief Amarinder Singh to take a decision in this regard.

On reports suggesting flight of industry from the state to Gujarat,Badal said none was leaving Punjab.

The state government had created an investor-friendly atmosphere and provided excellent infrastructure,he said.

Besides,abundant skilled manpower was available in the state,Badal said.

On the issue of drug trafficking,Badal said Centre’s “wrong policies have failed in checking this menace”.

Stringent and punitive measures should be put in place to check inter-state smuggling of drugs,he said.