Chandigarh, Feb 17 (IANS) Sounding the bugle for the first phase of the election campaign for the 2027 Assembly polls, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday promised to ensure welfare of farmers and weaker sections, Rs 10 lakh interest-free loans for the youth, government jobs for Punjabis only and an end to the gangster culture and drug mafia. ​

The Akali Dal President also asserted that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was not only corrupt and had acquired 2,500 acres of land in Australia, but was also readying to compromise state river waters. ​

“The file that the Central government has made against Bhagwant Mann has forced him to soften his position vis-à-vis the transfer of water to Haryana through the SYL canal. I want to make it clear. We are ready to spill our blood, but we will not allow one drop of SYL (Sutlej-Yamuna Link) canal water to flow out of the state.” ​

He also made it clear that Punjab is suffering because the Aam Aadmi Party has refused to speak up for the state at the Centre. ​

“This will be the fate of any party that will sell its Rajya Sabha seats to the highest bidder,” he said, adding AAP had sold its Rajya Sabha seats to moneybags Rajinder Gupta and Ashok Mittal. ​

Asserting that the storm had started and would become a tsunami in 40 days while referring to the record 40 back-to-back rallies being held by the party before Baisakhi, the SAD President expressed gratitude to the Akali rank and file, including party halqa in-charge Guriqbal Singh Mahal and Punjabis for congregating in thousands to launch the Punjab Bachao-Sukhbir Singh Badal Liyao campaign in Qadian town in Gurdaspur district. ​

“The rally has made it clear that Punjabis are eager for the return of SAD in 2027 and want to deal a resounding defeat to all Delhi-based parties.” ​

Spelling out the party’s agenda, Badal said, ” Give me five years, and I will lead Punjab back into an era of peace, progress, and prosperity. ​

He also announced a number of commitments to the people of Punjab covering all sections of society. Speaking about the farmers, Badal said tubewell connections would be given to all those who do not have one within one week of the formation of the next SAD government. ​

He also announced the establishment of ‘pucca bundhs’ on rivers to deal with floods, assured the grant of land rights to those who had been denied them till now, and the free partition of joint ownership of land. ​

Speaking about how the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party had first reduced and were now denying social welfare benefits to the underprivileged, Badal said, “We are committed to augmenting all social welfare schemes which were started by Parkash Singh Badal, besides creating more new schemes for the weaker sections.”​

He said the atta-daal scheme would be restarted, with ‘atta’ at Rs 4 per kg and ‘daal’ at Rs 20 per kg. “An assistance of Rs 1 lakh for weddings will be given to the poorer sections, and old-age pension will be hiked to Rs 3,100 per month.” ​

Explaining that new jobs and avenues would be opened for the youth, and that all new industries would have to hire 75 per cent Punjabi youth, Badal said all government jobs would be available only to Punjabis. ​

He also announced that an Rs 10 lakh interest-free loan would be available to the youth, which they could repay over a period of 10 years. ​

He said the next SAD government would ensure 50 per cent reservation to students of meritorious schools in government as well as private engineering and medical colleges.

​–IANS

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