Badal terms Cong complaint to EC a political stunt

Terming the Congress' complaint to Election Commission alleging irregularities in registration of voters in Punjab a 'political stunt', Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the opposition party was trying to "score brownie points" before the media by raising such "irrelevant issues".
"The Congress party is indulging in such political tantrums to mislead the people of the state," Badal told reporters here.
He said there was hardly any truth in the allegations, adding they were "a figment of imagination" of Congress leaders, who were vying to regain political power in the state.
"These allegations are baseless and hardly have any legal standing," Badal said.

Slamming the Congress for defaming the state on the fiscal
front, Badal said the financial position of Punjab was "very sound" and the proof of this was the "unprecedented development" taking place in the state.

He said that in reality, the government had enough funds to carry out development and pro-poor schemes in the state.
Reiterating the commitment of the SAD-BJP alliance to maintain communal harmony, the Chief Minister said nobody would ever be allowed to disturb Punjab's "hard-earned" peace.
He said the government was keeping a strict vigil over every incident in the state.
Terming crime "a universal phenomenon", Badal said his government was "duty bound" to maintain law-and-order in Punjab "at any cost".

Asked to comment on Sikh preacher Sant Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwala's demand for a CBI inquiry into a recent attack on him, the Chief Minister said the state Police was competent enough to handle the investigation and that, it must be allowed to complete its inquiry in a fair manner.
Expressing concern over infighting in some units of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Badal said leaders and workers of the party must maintain discipline, adding that every matter should not be raised before the media.
The Chief Minister, however, said the SAD president (Sukhbir Singh Badal) would take an appropriate call in this regard.