Amritsar : Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Badal today called for a truly federal structure in the country with genuine political, economic and executive autonomy to the states.
“This alone is the ultimate and durable guarantee against the social, political and economic turmoil which the country has been witnessing in recent years” said the SAD(B) president addressing media persons after offering Ardas at Sri Akali Takhat Sahib complex for the launch of year functions for centennial commemoration of SAD(B)
Sukhbir Badal said that “the alarming crisis following the passage of three anti farmer Acts would not have arisen if the government had followed a federal approach through consultation, conciliation and consensus among certain and states.”
“The farmers crisis cannot be de-linked from the ill-advised unitary and dictatorial tendencies in the country. The problem could have been averted through an approach based on federal principles .”Sukhbir Badal lamented that during the present BJP government, “the country has seen a dangerous slide into increasingly autocratic and unitary system with growing centralisation of power in a few hands.
He said his party would work in tandem with like-minded regional and national parties to make India a genuine federal country
Referring to the on-going peaceful and democratic movement of the farmers, Sukhbir Badal said that his party fully backS the farmers demand for “ total revocation of the farm Acts. The government must not stand on prestige and must understand that farmers see these Acts as a threat to their survival. ”
Releasing a five point Mission Statement of the SAD(B) on the centenary anniversary of the party, Sukhbir Badal described commitment to Panthic ideals and values (Panth Prasti) as the top priority of his party as the sole representative (vaahid numainda jathebandi) of the Khalsa Panth and Punjabis all over the world We have a historic responsibility to perform in this role.
Sukhbir Badal rededicated himself and the party to the “ Panthic ideal of a Welfare State (halemi raj) in which the poor , especially the poor farmers, labour, low paid private and public, employees, small traders and shopkeepers must get the same opportunities to grow and progress as the rich and the mighty.
“ We need private sector investments in welfare activities but this must not be at the expense of the poor and the toiling farmers , labour, small traders and other working classes.
Sukhbir Badal expressed grave concern over ominous threats to the country’s secular character posed by the growing trends toward communal and political violence. He said his party strongly believes in Sarbat da Bhala as a sacred goal. It gives “top priority to treating every citizen with respect and dignity as an equal. This he said was necessary for fighting communalism and for preserving and promoting “peace and communal harmony in the country. “There can no progress without peace.”
Sukhbir Badal declared that his party would strongly oppose the anti farmer and anti poor trends in the country’s economic policies and planning. These trends have been threatening to take over the means of livelihood of the farmers and other poor working cases in the country.
He said the SAD(B) would cooperate and coordinate with other like-minded regional and national parties to ensure that the governments in the states and at the centre work for the turning Punjab and India into a welfare state based on the Sarbat da Bhala (welfare of all), a vision handed down to us by the great Guru Sahiban.
Detailing his vision for a prosperous Punjab, Sukhbir Badal said that this party gives top priority to education and healthcare for the poor. He said that this alone can make our youth competent and capable of successfully competing at the national and international levels for gainful employment.
He said that his party today rededicated itself to the task of bringing back the lost glory of Punjab and Punjabis and making Our state the number province in the country and an ideal destination for global investments.
“He said that when voted in to serve the people again in government, his party would give huge priority to world class social and physical Infrastructure. This alone can make the state the most attractive destination for investment in key areas like conventional and IT industry.
“In our last tenure, we brought Punjab to a stage where it entered the new progress and development in the world. Suddeny, Punjab was way ahead of the rest of the country and was ready for a take off into the new age progress and be counted as a part of the advanced world. “From being a province of of 14-hour daily power cuts, we turned it into a power surplus state. We replaced the old, narrow and dilapidated roads with a world class 4-lane and six lane expressways, cutting down travel time almost by half. We put Punjab on the global aviation map with Mohali international airport.”
Sukhbir Badal however lamented that in the past four years, “things have remained stuck where we left them. In most key areas, the state has actually slid down on key progress parameters. Today, we re-dedicated ourselves to resuming from where we had left and take Punjab into the next orbit of development and progress.”
