Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has once againthreatened the Channi government with a hunger strike. The Congress leader onThursday stated that if the state government does not make the reports on thedrug menace and the sacrilege incident public, he will go on a hunger strike.
"If this report is not made public, then it shouldbe investigated as to why the previous Chief Minister slept for four and a halfyears...it should be probed as to why the Home Minister continued tosleep," the Punjab Congress chief added.
Sidhu also questioned the economic viability of freebiespromised by political parties ahead of the Assembly election.
Punjab is under debt of Rs 7 lakh crore. "We arewaiving off the debt by taking loans." Sidhu further alleged that he wouldbring Rs 2,000 crore from sand and Rs 20,000 crore from liquor.
The cricketer-turned-politician further said that ChiefMinister Charanjit Singh Channi's announcement to cap cable TV charges at Rs100 per month was impractical because the TRAI had set the rate at Rs 130. Hehastily added, however, that Channi's performance was superior to that of formerChief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Taking a dig at Capt Amrinder Singh, Sidhu said that heproposed a law that could have ended cable mafia, but the ex-CM stalled him.
“Fastway has 3-4 times TV connections than data it issharing with govt. Badals made laws to protect its monopoly. Capt Amarinderstalled my proposed law which would have ended Fastway monopoly, got revenuefor state per connection & reduced TV cable prices for people to half,”said Sidhu after ED raided the properties of Fastway cable company owner,today.
As Sidhu spoke on Thursday in Moga, he also announcedDarshan Singh Brar as the candidate for the Baghapurana seat. Notably, Brar isa Sidhu loyalist who has openly backed the PPCC head during the face-off withCaptain Amarinder.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sidhu slammed the AAP for itspre-election sop announcements, saying that people won't fall for populistmeasures unless they're backed by a policy framework, defined budgetallocations, and implementation metrics.
"Kejriwal's financial assistance scheme for women,as well as other promises, will cost thousands of crores of rupees and willexceed the state budget," said the Congress leader.
People are being given "lollipops" by the AAPleader, he claims. Sidhu's remarks came just a day after Kejriwal praisedthe Congress leader for bringing up issues of public welfare.
"Whatever our chief minister has said... the partywill back him and stand by him," Sidhu said of various announcements madeby Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for various sections.
"His (Channi's) intent is correct," said thestate Congress president, adding that the chief minister has the support of theparty.