Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced that the party would give fifty per cent seats to women in panchayat and local body elections besides reserving 33 per cent seats for women while nominating candidates for the State assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing the first all women conference at the Maghi Mela here, the SAD president said “the SAD is also committed to giving a boost to all social welfare initiatives concerning our women folk once we come to power in the State”. He said the Shagun scheme which had been discontinued by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government would restarted. “We will also give lentils under the “aata- daal” scheme which has been severely curtailed presently besides increasing the old age pension to Rs 2,500 per month”.
Sukhbir Badal also lauded the overwhelmingly response to the women conference organised by the Istri Akali Dal under the leadership of Bibi Hargobind Kaur. He said the manner in which women had congregated to the conference proved the high esteem in which womenfolk held the SAD. He also appealed to the women as the heirs of Mata Bhag Kaur to unite under the banner of the SAD to strengthen it even further.
Asserting that Punjabis had been betrayed both by the Congress and AAP, Mr Sukhbir Badal said “the Congress promised to waive off farmer loans but did nothing”. He said AAP even made more grandiose promises of doubling the supply of flour under the aata-daal scheme, increasing old age pension to Rs 2,500 per month and giving Rs 1,000 per month to women. He said instead of increasing the pension amount the number of beneficiaries had been reduced drastically even as women were still waiting to receive Rs 1,000 per month as promised.
Badal also spoke on how the drug menace had become alarming because AAP legislators were taking monthlies running into lakhs of rupees per month from drug dealers. He said it was these legislators who were preventing the police force from arresting drug traffickers.
Former union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal spoke about the sacrifices made by women in the history of Punjab from the period of the Guru Sahiban to present times. She also spoke on how AAP was fooling Punjabis by trumpeting the zero bill slogan even as all other social welfare benefits had been cut – be it Shagun, aata – daal or old age pensions. She said even the zero bill slogan was being disproved with people complaining of huge power bills.
Istri Akali Dal president Hargobind Kaur while speaking said women were bearing the brunt of AAP misrule. “Be it the alarming increase in the drug menace or break down of law and order, women is the losers. They are watching their sons die due to drug overdoses even as the chief minister is busy cracking jokes or indulging in political vendetta instead of running the State”. She also highlighted how women were being denied social welfare benefits.
