Delhi rally: Akalis call for devolution ot powers to states

Chandigarh, Aug 2 (UNI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today called for re-casting the country's constitutional and political framework along genuine federal lines, with greater fiscal autonomy and more political powers to the States, in order to fight poverty, illiteracy and economic inequalities.

These views were expressed by prominent Akali leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, former Delhi SAD chief Avtar Singh Hit and General Secretary Onkar Singh Thapar while addressing a public rally at New Delhi today.

The rally assumes significance in view of the forthcoming elections to the Delhi state assembly as well as the Lok Sabha poll.

Addressing the rally, the Chief Minister and his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal declared that regional parties including SAD would play a decisive role in the formation of the next Government at the center.

The Chief Minister declared that his party would contest the forthcoming assembly poll in Delhi as well as the Lok Sabha elections on the party symbol. "Punjabis constitute over sixty per cent of the population in the national capital and have a legitimate democratic right to hold he reigns of administration here", they said while pointing out that their alliance with the NDA would remain "solid and inviolable".

SAD would like to strengthen this alliance through a direct mobilization of Punjabis all over the country. they said.

The Chief Minister warned that the prevalent poverty, unemployment and economic inequalities could destabilise the Indian polity, resulting in grave law and order problems. He said that due to the mounting frustration amongst the youth, quick and effective measures were necessary to meet the aspirations of the new generation. Unfortunately, the policy makers in Delhi were woefully out of touch with ground realties in the country, he added.

The policies of the present rulers are totally out of sync with the needs of the common man and this had resulted in serious economic crises symbolised by prices and inflation hitting record levels, he said.

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