CHANDIGARH: Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal took a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday when she said he must be on drugs.
Harshimrat, the daughter-in-law of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was campaigning for her brother and revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who is the sitting MLA from Majitha. “Ye Rahul Gandhi, mujhe lagta hai khud sabse zyada nashe karte honge jo inhe Punjab ke 70 per cent log nashedi lagte hain. (Rahul Gandhi must be on drugs himself if he believes that 70 per cent of youth of Punjab are under influence of drugs), ’’ she said at a gathering in Kathunangal near Amritsar.
Her remarks came as the Congress in its campaign alleged that 70 per cent youth in the State are addicted. Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh had been accusing the ruling Badal family of "pushing’’ drugs in the State and he had been promising that once the Congress forms the government in Punjab he will stop the drug trade.
Couple of years ago, the Enforcement Directorate had questioned Majithia about money laundering in the synthetic drug case in which Jagdish Singh Bhola was then arrested.
Commenting on Navjot Singh Sidhu joining the Congress, she said that the Sidhu family is not at all trustworthy because Sidhu could not be loyal to the party, which gave him so much and joined the Congress -- the party which had been the opposition. “Congratulations to Sidhu saab who calls it gharwapasi to go to a party that wrecked a genocide on the Sikh community,’’ she said.
She further said, “Some people have their feet in three boats, sometimes BJP, Congress and why not go ahead a little into Pakistan.’’
Calling Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party a ‘B’ team of the Congress, she said that the Congress and Kejriwal are putting up weak candidates against each other and ganging up against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). She added that previously the Congress had put up PPP whose fate is known to everybody and now the AAP would meet the same fate.
She also said that the people of Punjab would give a befitting reply to the Congress who attacked Sri Darbar Sahib and the AAP which broke the ‘Piao’ at Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib. Attacking Kejriwal, she said that the AAP convenor made false promises to the people of Delhi due to which he had to run away from Delhi.
She said that opposition parties cried hoarse about an empty treasury despite chief minister Parkash Singh Badal carrying out massive reforms in the State in the past decade including the production of power within the State, improving infrastructure, and providing facilities to the people.
Kaur claimed that Bikram Singh Majithia has been selflessly serving the people in his political career. She also appealed to the people to vote for Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina in the Lok Sabha by-poll besides SAD-BJP candidates in the upcoming Assembly polls and help in forming the SAD-BJP government for the third consecutive time.