Days after sharing his concerns with Congress leaderRahul Gandhi, Punjab state President Navjot Sidhu on Sunday made public aletter he has written to party chief Sonia Gandhi, saying this is Punjab's lastchance for resurrection and redemption.
In a letter dated October 15, Sidhu talked about mainlyon justice in sacrilege cases, state's drugs menace, agricultural issues,employment opportunities, sand mining, and welfare of backward classes.
"Request you to kindly give me a personal audienceto present to you the Punjab Model with a 13-Point Agenda to be part of theCongress Manifesto for the 2022 Assembly elections, which is separate from thisby means of its long-term vision to be implemented over a longer period oftime, have crafted it through years of consultations with academics, civilsociety, party workers and feedback from the People of Punjab," Sidhuwrote.
"I express with a lot of pain in my heart that thisis Punjab's last chance for resurrection and redemption. The issues at Punjab'sheart as understood very well by you, and signified by the 18-Point agendagiven to the last Chief Minister are equally relevant today. I stood for eachpoint in that agenda through the responsibility vested in me of theorganization, keeping the executive under check, to be guardian of Punjab'srights."
Saying that Punjab is submerged under lakhs of crores ofdebt due to gross financial mismanagement over the last 25 years and diversionof public resources making a few powerful people rich and having left the statedebt-distressed, he said it has been supplemented by seven years of BJP rulediscriminating against Punjab while paying its financial dues such as GSTpayments, rural development fund payments, post-matric scholarship forScheduled Castes payments, etc.
Sidhu said, "Subsequently, the increasing debtoverhead of Punjab has led to our financial resources being used for merelypaying-off the old debt and interest upon it.
"While, every year have to take new debt to supportbasic development works, to invest in 60:40 shared Central development schemes,providing healthcare, education and infrastructure needs of the State.
"Punjab has nearly one lakh of government postsvacant, due to lack of resources, government hirings are at lowest wages andcontractual, school teachers have to work on probation for four years onminimum wages, delays in implementation of 6th Pay Commission by five years areall due to state not having enough resources."
"Today, I further write to your esteemed self withpriority areas among the 18-point agenda, 2017 campaign and manifesto promisesthat the state government must deliver upon. Beginning with the issues forjustice of the soul of Punjab, whose torch-bearer was our leader Rahul GandhiJi, having left no stone unturned in fight for justice to Punjab," headded.
Last week Sidhu met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi along withsenior party leaders K.C. Venugopal and Harish Rawat.
Sidhu resigned as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committeepresident last month. However, his resignation was not accepted by the partyhigh command.