Punjab CM trashes charges of non-performance

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here on Tuesday termed charges of non-performance by the SAD a "sign of desperation" and said that party was misleading people with "blatant lies".

The Congress government not only implemented a majority of the promises made in its manifesto but also successfully pulled the state back from the "brink of collapse", he said while trashing the claims in an official release.

His comments came a day after Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that the state government was trying to "befool" people by claiming to have fulfilled 141 of its 161 poll promises.

Terming the allegations a "bunch of lies", the CM said these were made to hide their own "failures".

The current state government not only executed the central schemes effectively but also launched several path-breaking initiatives to pave the way for Punjab's development, which had plummeted to abysmal levels under the previous government, he said.

The chief minister also accused the Shiromani Akali Dal of transforming the state into a "narcotics den, asserting that his government forced most drug traffickers to leave Punjab.

As many as 27,744 cases were registered under the NDPS Act with the arrest of 33,622 persons, the CM said, adding that the current government ensured the treatment and rehabilitation of the victims of the drug menace.

He alleged that the Akalis "pushed the youth into the drug trap" as a result of the "total economic breakdown" in the state.

The state government's flagship programme 'Ghar Ghar Rozgar' had created nine lakh jobs/self-employment opportunities, he said, adding that Rs 4,700 crore of farm debt was waived by them.