BJP-SAD to put pressure on Centre for packages: Bhandari

Jalandhar, Feb 14 (UNI) Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajendra Bhandari today said that the proposed SAD-BJP at New Delhi on February 26 would highlight the " step motherly treatment of the Centre towards the border state".

While addressing a press conference here this evening, Prof Bhandari said that the Centre had always side-tracked Punjab in the matter of providing packages and relief to farmers and the idustry. In this context he refered to the industrial package provided to Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir and demanded a similar incentive for Punjab.

He informed that Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal had many times in the past met Central Ministers and demanded relief packages for the debt-ridden farmers of Punjab on the pattern Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

For the coming Municipal Council and panchayat elections, he informed that the party would contest all the MC elections on its symbol.

He condemned the violence and hooliganism committed by the activists of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) headed by Raj Thackery in Maharashtra and blamed the Congress government in the state for not doing anything to curb the violence.

On the question Sukhbir Badal becoming Chief Minister of Punjab, he said,'' As SAD (Badal) is a larger alliance partner, the CM has to be from the Akali Dal.'' UNI DP HS BP1953