Manpreet Badal targets Sukhbir on law & order
Monday, 14/01/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130114/punjab.htm#3
Muktsar : Former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s People's Party of Punjab attracted an impressive crowd at the Maghi Mela. Elated at the response, an emotionally charged Manpreet thanked the audience, his hands folded.
He primarily targeted his cousin Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal over law and order failure in his speech. He said thethe Sanjha Morcha would start a state-wide personal contact programme beginning March against the SAD-led state government against the "fake" cases being registered against PPP workers.
Referring to the brutal killing of an ASI in Amritsar, Manpreet said: “Tusi (the Badals) Kaatil te makhtool, dona de sir te hath nahi rakh sakde (You cannot bless both the criminal and the police at the same time)".
The PPP chief said his party was committed to depoliticing the police as this alone could restore law and order in the state. He also spoke about the state government’s alleged failure in handling the Faridkot kidnapping case and the harassment of a policewoman by some Akali workers at Mallan village in Muktsar district.
He concluded his speech with an Urdu couplet. “Tujhe watan se mohabbat karna nahi aata, aur mujhe watan se mohabbat ke siwa kuch nahi aata. You (Sukhbir) do not know how to love Punjab and I only know to love Punjab.”
Other Sanjha Morcha leaders who spoke were Surjit Singh Barnala, Dr Joginder Dayal, Bant Singh Brar, Charan Singh Virdi and Bhagwant Mann.
Jagjit Singh “Honey” Fattanwala, Manpreet's cousin and Muktsar district in charge of the PPP, appealed to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to join the Sanjha Morcha. “Badal Sahib, nobody from your family, including Sukhbir, Harsimrat and Bikramjit Majithia, have any time for you. Hence, you must join the Sanjha Morcha.”
Bhagwant Mann enthralled the audience with his witty remarks on the Badals, Bikram Majithia and Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. He also targeted former Congress MLA from Moga Joginder Jain and Sant Singh Brar. Manpreet's father Gurdas Badal was at the pandal only for a short while. He preferred to sit in his SUV.
A senior PPP leader said that he was unwell.
Moga Bypoll
Manpreet announced that Dr Ravinder Singh Dhaliwal would be the Sanjha Morcha candidate for the Moga by-election. Dhaliwal is the district president of the Moga unit of the PPP
