Badal claims clean sweep for SAD-BJP

Harion (Ludhiana), Aug 17 (PTI) Accussing Congress and AamAadmi Party of being "anti-Punjab", Chief Minister PrakashSingh Badal today said people will give a "befitting lesson"to these parties as he claimed a clean sweep for SAD-BJPalliance in the forthcoming Punjab assembly polls. Addressing a Sangat Darshan programme, Badal said theSAD-BJP alliance will have a clean sweep as people havealready seen the "anti-Punjab face of both Congress and AAP". "People have already seen the anti-Punjab approach of theCongress party and now the Aam Aadmi Party’s stand againstPunjab over the river waters issue has unmasked their realface," he said. Badal called the claims of Congress to waive farmers’debt if they come to power "pure lies" and said the Congress"did nothing for the welfare of farmers" during their rule ofmore than 50 years. "On the other hand, our government is currently giving asubsidy worth Rs 5,000 crore for tube-wells of farmers. Thegovernment is providing interest-free loan up to Rs 50,000.Besides, free health treatment of up to Rs 50,000 is beingprovided to farmers. There is also a provision of an insuranceof Rs 5 lakh in case the head of family dies in an accident orincapacitation," he said. Badal accused Congress of "damaging" the statepolitically, religiously and economically. "First, Congress ordered an army attack on the GoldenTemple, which directly hit the Sikhs and later, orderedkilling of innocent Sikhs in Delhi. Congress even backstabbedgreat leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal. It was the Congresswhich made the Rajiv-Longowal pact, and later, did not standby it," he said. Badal said AAP leaders were constantly trying to "dividethe society", but people will not fall prey to their "evilmotives". PTI CHS CHT ZMNCHT