Khaira lashes out at Sukhbir over populist announcement

Chandigarh, May 10 (UNI) Lashing out at SAD working president for declaration of ''taking Punjab on the road to progress'' and announcing Rs 35000 crore package for the state, prominent Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira today questioned his capacity to issue such statements.

Saying that Mr Sukhbir Badal was just indulging in populist announcements which lacked any valid reasoning, Mr Khaira noted that when Mr Sukhbir Badal was not even a part of the government, how could he issue statements as if he was running the show in Punjab.

He also pointed out that Mr Sukhbir Badal had failed to explain appropriately from where the resources to execute such ambitious project would come.

He described as ''illogical'' Mr Badal's ''vision'' of creating 6000 Mega Watts of electricity for Punjab in order to make Punjab fully sufficient in terms of electricity in just three and a half years.

Regarding his plan to establishing medical tourism when the state did not have funds for up keep of the present health infrastructure of the state, Mr Khara said unfder the circumstances, such modern medical tourism will only cater to the rich like the Badal clan.

He described ''Mr Badal's plan to have cabin crew training schools in a state, where as per the survey of 'Atta-Dal' conducted by their own Government, 40 per cent people were earning below Rs 30000 per annum, as building ''castles in the air.'' Mr Khaira, in a statement here, charged Mr Sukhbir Badal of totally forgetting the poor and the middle class of Punjab in his ''economic vision''. He has nothing to offer to the 30 per cent scheduled caste population of the state, similarly nothing for the backward classes and also nothing for other economically backward.

He exhorted Mr Badal to first honour the promise of providing subsidised 'Atta and Dal' which was going to cost the state only Rs 1000 crore annually as compared to his Rs 35000 crore economic vision, which was ''a bundle of lies''.

UNI