Baba Bakala (Amritsar), August 19 – Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today made a appeal for the release of all Sikh detainees including Balwant Singh Rajoana, saying the Bandi Singhs also had the right to return to their families as they had completed their jail terms, some even twice over.

Asserting that the country was run as per the constitution and that in a democracy the rule of law prevailed, he said it was unfortunate that the Sikh detenues were still incarcerated despite having completed the full tenure of their life sentences. “I am confident that our prayers for their early release will also be heard soon”.

He said it was unfortunate that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was impervious about the promises made to the people. “Punjabis were first betrayed by the Congress, now the AAP government is also following in the former’s footsteps and is refusing to implement its promise to give Rs 1,000 per month to all women and regularize contractual employees besides providing jobs to youth. “Even the much touted power concession scheme cannot be accessed by the common man due to the conditionalities involved”.

In answer to another query, he said the AAP government was doing nothing to help the common man who was facing the brunt of inflation. “It has refused to reduce the State VAT on petrol and diesel”. He said sugarcane farmers were not only suffering because their dues were not being paid but also because the State Assured Price (SAP) of sugarcane was less than that of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Reacting to the CBI raids on Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, he said “skeletons are likely to tumble out of cupboards because of the flawed monopolistic Delhi excise policy which was implemented in Punjab also”.