Amarinder questions Modi's silence over SYL

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh today termed as "provocative posturing" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that he would stop every drop of water that flows to Pakistan from India.
He also questioned his alleged deliberate silence on Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue during his speech in Bhatinda.
Singh said by making such statements, Modi was indulging in "electoral jumlebazi", especially in view of the fact that the BJP-SAD alliance led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had sold off Punjab's water rights to Haryana for personal gains.
Accusing Modi of trying to whip up war hysteria through such provocative statements against Pakistan, the Congress leader said it was evident that Modi was looking for excuses to escalate tensions at the border in order to create war hysteria to grab political mileage and divert public attention from other critical issues ahead of Assembly polls in Punjab and four other states.

PM continue to befool the people over demonetisation despite having partially rolled back the scheme in the face of total collapse of the Indian economy as a result of his irrational move, he said while reacting to Modi's speech at the foundation stone laying ceremony for AIIMS in Bhatinda.
"His (Modi) unnecessary reference to the surgical strikes, which he said showed Pakistan what the Indian Army was capable of, was also aimed at triggering a similar provocative reaction," Singh said.

"Ironically, while talking of the water crisis in Punjab,
the prime minister conveniently chose to ignore the SYL issue, which threatens to plunge the state into a bigger water crisis than ever before," Singh said.

Attacking the PM for his appeal to the people for support in his demonetisation programme, he said "What is the point of appealing for public support after so many people have died as a result of your unplanned initiative and many others have been deprived of their means of survival?"
He also said that by allowing old 500 rupee notes to be accepted for transactions till December 15, the prime minister has virtually admitted that his demonetisation move was a "complete failure".
The PPCC chief also lashed out at Modi for exhorting people to move to mobile banking and stop using cash, saying this kind of 'jumlebazi' would not fill the stomachs of the hungry nor give back jobs to those who have been laid off as a result of the cash crisis triggered by demonetisation.

"Nor is it going to bring back from the dead all those who have lost their lives to the needless and unnecessary move by Modi," Singh said, adding that it was futile to talk of cashless transactions in a country like India, where thousands still did not have bank accounts.
He said even Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal seemed to have picked up Modi's jumlebazi, referring to the Chief Minister's promise of doubling the income of all Punjabis in five years, a la the prime minister's promise of doubling rural incomes by 2022.