Akali-BJP alliance still popular in Punjab: Badal

Baba Bakala, Amritsar, Aug 16 (UNI) Countering the claims of the Congress, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today predicted that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance would capture all 13 Lok Sabhe seats in Punjab in the next elections.

He made these claims while refering to the recent victorious of the alliance in the Local Bodies polls and the elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).

Addressing a massive gathering here on the auspicious occasion of 'Rakhar Purnima' in this historic town, the Chief Minister these victories pointed to the fact that the people of the state were satisfied with the rule of the alliance.

Lashing at the Congress for its apathic and discriminating attitude towards Punjab, the Chief Minister said that it had always betrayed the on every front, be it agriculture, industry and even on infrastructure development. He said that central policies were inimical to the interests of Punjab and stringent parameters are designed for the eligibility of centrally sponsored schemes and grants.

To press his point, he said that the state was excluded from central schemes involving construction of link roads and rural electrification. The Union Government had not even acknowledging Punjab's record contribution to the national food pool, he said while refering to the depleting groundwater level and soil fertility in the state.

Earlier, Mr Badal after paying obeisance at the historic shrine of Guru Tegh Bahadur inaugurated the stadium named after the Guru. The stadium has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.42 crore by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and other senior Akali leaders also spoke on the occasion.

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