SAD to stake claim to form govt if Cong MLAs disqualified: Badal

Tibba, Sultanpur Lodhi, May 10 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) prsident Parkash Singh Badal today said his party would stake its claim to form the government in Punjab as he apprehended the disqualification of 34 Congress MLAs for allegedly holding offices of profit on the petition pending before the Election Commission.

Stating this here today, Mr Badal told reporters that the recent Supreme Court judgement, dismissing the petition filed by Jaya Bachan challenging her disqualification from the Rajya Sabha membership on the issue of holding office of profit, has brightened the hopes for the disqualification of the Congress MLAs in Punjab who allegedly held twin offices of profit.

Mr Badal visited Tibba to participate in a political conference organised by the SAD in the memory of Baba Bir Singh Naurangi at village Purana Thatha.

Replying to a question regarding nepotism in the SAD, Mr Badal defended the concept of the entire family in party politics by citing the example of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi's coveted position in the party.

Lashing out at Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for his decision to give prime land to the Reliance Industries for setting up agro-based units, Mr Badal alleged the land valuing Rs 1,000 crore was being offered at throw away prices.

He said he was not against setting up of industries and the same project could be handled by the Punjab Agriculture University or Agriculture Department.

He said old industry like the sugar mills in the state were on the verge of closure and blamed the government for taking little care to revive those.

He criticised the Centre for importing wheat from Australia and other countries, saying this was an anti-farmers policy.

The former Punjab chief minister blamed the Centre for exhausting the buffer stock by selling wheat to foreign countries at cheaper rates.

Regarding the sharing of seats with the BJP in the forth-coming state Assembly elections, Mr Badal said it was too early to decide on it and he would welcome all those parties which would oppose the Congress in Punjab.

UNI XC PS AK GC1931