Manpreet supports demand to declassify Op Bluestar files

Tuesday, 26/04/2016

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=155362&boxid=58754&uid=&dat=2016-04-26

Bathinda : Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal on Monday supported the national leaders of SAD-BJP alliance demanding the Operation Blue Star files to “expose the truth behind the episode”.

Manpreet was here to take the stock of food grains’ procurement process in the grain markets. He was reacting to Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s desire to see the files of Operation Blue Star being made public, which was also supported by Subramanian Swamy. “We really have no problem if those secret files are made public. Rather, I would appreciate if it happens as it will certainly expose the truth and clear off various notions,” stressed Manpreet.

Manpreet, who joined the Congress few weeks back after merging his political outfit PPP into it, however, accused the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership of raking such sensitive issues for political mileage.

“The SAD do raise such issues near the elections only, but this time it won’t favour their poll prospectus in any manner,” he asserted.

Expressing his view point, Manpreet further said: “Punjab now wants to listen about the status of education, employment and social security issues, on which the government is failing but the ruling SAD-BJP alliance won’t come on such subjects. If they really wish to discuss the issues, do accept out challenge of debate on the agenda.”

Asked about Captain Amarinder’s Canada tour, which has been cancelled now, Manpreet said: “It was not due to public discontent as the ruling alliance is publicising. The things happened due to the Canada government’s stringent policy of not allowing any outsider to campaign for their polls on the foreign land.”

“We argue the Canada government’s policy of imposing such ban when (in case of Punjab) we get the funds from the NRIs settled there and they all having strong interest about the politics taking place in Punjab,” said Manpreet.

Speaking about the wheat procurement process, Manpreet said that it was too tardy, stating that the wheat had started arriving in the mandis about three weeks back, but the government couldn’t yet clear the bills of the purchased grains. It’s not only the farming community but the transporters, commission agents and various other related sections of the society are also quite disturbed due to delay in payment and it is affecting the whole cycle of economy,” claimed Manpreet.