SAD asks Amarinder Singh to waive farmers debt, provide 30 lakh jobs

CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal ( SAD) today said that the Amarinder Singh government should waive farmers' debt and meet the promise of providing 30 lakh jobs in Punjab and try not to hide behind the "smoke-screen" of committees.

A core committee of the SAD, which was drubbed in the assembly elections, said it accepted the verdict of the people of Punjab with all "humility and honesty".

A resolution passed at the meeting said that the people had appreciated the agenda of development and good governance which resulted in the party getting the second highest percentage of votes across the state.

However, the party has undertaken an introspection about the shortcomings and reasons that may have led to the decline in popular support, it added.

Giving details of the meeting, SAD General Secretary Harcharan Singh Bains said the party will play the role of constructive opposition in the state.

"We will support every decision of the government which is good for Punjabi and its people. But we will steadfastly and vehemently fight against any decisions that go against the interest of the state and the people," he said.

The SAD core group also called upon the Congress government not to use committees as a "smoke-screen to hide behind for inaction on its promises," he said.

It should announce waiver of debt for farmers as all the data is already available with the government, Bains said. Similarly, it should announce a cabinet approval for recruitment to meet the promise of 30 lakh jobs, he added.

Their (Congress) promises were vetted by Dr Manmohan Singh, an outstanding economist, and these were made only after seeing that the government treasury is in a shape healthy enough, Bains said.