DW BUREAU / Gidderbaha

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today demanded the forthcoming Punjab Vidhan Sabha monsoon session be extended to one month from the present three day session so that the burning issues of Punjab including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failure to protect the State's river waters and frittering away Punjab's rights over Chandigarh be discussed in detail.

Talking to newsmen here, the SAD president said Punjabis also wanted the issue of the State's burgeoning debt which had increased by an unprecedented Rs 85,000 crore during AAP tenure to be discussed.

"The AAP government is frittering away precious resources on advertisements, propaganda exercises and wasteful expenditure as a result of which Punjab's economy has been destroyed and development has come to a complete standstill".

He said this was not all. "No new investment is coming to Punjab even as home grown entrepreneurs have invested Rs 22,000 crore in neighboring States in the recent past".

He said the manner in which the government had failed Punjabis by failing to acquire land at just prices from farmers had also resulted in the termination of NHAI projects worth Rs 3,263 crore and a likely termination of further projects worth Rs 14,288 crore. "This is a clear case of misgovernance and chief minister Bhagwant Mann should tell why he has failed to perform his constitutional duty".

Mr Badal said the legislators also wanted to raise issues like the chief minister's failure to address the issue of drug menace besides first announcing that it would be eradicated in four weeks and then three months and finally in one year's time. "Legislators also want to take up issues regarding their constituencies and should be given appropriate time to do so". He said the chief minister had during his period in the opposition demanded that the assembly session should be held for at least one month annually but was now calling sessions for a few days every time.
(editor@dailyworld.in)