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Feudal mindset takes over
Punjab, ruling clan leads it
WSN Bureau
 PATIALA/BATHINDA/MUKTSAR:
A strange notion of virtually having owned Punjab has overtaken the
ruling top brass, and the public is being bombarded with inane
sounding statements that betray a clearly feudal outlook.
One member of
the Badal clan "adopted" Muktsar, another said Mansa will become
America,
while one said Patiala has been orphaned and he was on a mission to
rescue it. Amarinder Singh's plea against unseating from Punjab
Assembly has resulted in notices but no stay has come his way. He is
back from his foreign jaunt and will look for space in political
arena.
For the last
entire week, Akalis have been busy telling people what a minor thing
was Rahul gandhi's visit to
Punjab,
and the party has issued a score of press releases to make this
point. As news items elsewhere in this paper will tell you, the
culture of criminality in politics is rearing its head with a
disturbing regularity.
Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal's wife Surinder Kaur Badal has given a
statement, in fact made a public speech, that Muktsar in Punjab was
too poor a district and so far, the people of Muktsar had no "wali-waaris"
(anyone who could look after them). "So from this day, my family,
the Badal family, has adopted Muktsar. Now, no one will be able to
say ke tuhada koyee nahi hai," she said, promising that the
development of Muktsar immediately jumps to top priority on the
government agenda with this adoption.
Sukhbir Singh
Badal, while laying the foundation stone of 66 KV power grid at
village tahlian in Budhlada said Mansa was the most backward area in
Punjab so far, but he has made some super-plans for irrigation,
drinking water supply and education. "The day is not far when people
will find it difficult to distinguish between Mansa and America," he
said, with a straight face.
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Shahi Thath Patiala De
By all
indications, the ruling Akali Dal is pulling out all stops to
wrest the Patiala seat from Amarinder Singh, and the city is
being enriched by crores. Little is being said about whether the
CM owns his own time and energy, showering most of it on Patiala,
but surely the voters here are getting the feel of royalty.
The Tribune
recently said that CM Badal "has virtually made Patiala his
“second home”."
With about
48 sangat darshan programs in a month, and covering each ward,
and with Rs 500 crore of development projects in his bag for
Patiala, including a Rs 250-crore air-conditioned bus stand,
Patiala has never has it so good. |
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Parkash Singh
Badal spent some 15 days in the past one month in Patiala, holding
daily sangat darshan in one or the other ward of
Patiala,
and "solving people's problems". He said it was the love of the
people of Patiala who have been rendered orphan as the one who was
to take care of them has run away (a crude reference to Amarinder
Singh's foreign visit). He said he was giving Patiala so much
attention so that people do not lose heart.
In Talwandi
Sabo, the two Badals went on a foundation stone laying spree and in
the course of a single day, they managed to found projects worth Rs
100 crore. In all 12 development projects were initiated. Four-laning
of Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road at a cost of Rs 26 crore, Advanced
Professional Studies Centre at Punjabi University’s Guru Kashi
Campus and education infrastructure at a cost of Rs 26.5 crore.
Besides Philips Company has been awarded job of lightening of the
historic Takht Damdama Sahib at a cost of Rs 2 crore, Rs 9.3 crore
would be spent on water supply, sewerage and sanitation, Rs 3.54
crore for storm water drain, Rs 4 crore on solid waste management
and Rs 7.72 crore on other miscellaneous projects. They also laid
the foundation stones of Sports Academy, Yatri Niwas and
Drug-De-addiction Centre.
The study shows
different picture
But claims of
such development seem straneg at a time when a study jointly
conducted by industry chamber FICCI along with Konrad Adenuer
Foundation (KAF) said Punjab-based entrepreneurs do not find the
state a favourable investment destination any more due to lack of
quality infrastructure, severe power shortage and high cost of land.
The study
covered bicycle, hand tools, textile, sports goods, knitwear and
food processing industries. Some 62% of the respondents took a
pessimistic view on Punjab as an investment destination. Investors
also blamed the attitude of government officials towards promotion
of the industry.
1 October 2008
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