Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa today flayed the SAD-BJP government for allegedly "tricking the people" of the state in the name of Atta-Dal scheme which, he claimed, had been lying defunct for the past two years.
In a statement here, Bajwa said Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon had quietly "re-launched the scheme" at Sultanpur Lodhi.
He said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who had so far postponed the re-launch of scheme twice in the past two months had preferred to stay away from the function to avoid direct criticism and shifted the onus to Kairon.
"Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir who do not lose any opportunity to lay foundation stones and distribute development funds have shirked their responsibility knowing that the Atta-Dal scheme is a big sham," he said.
Bajwa said for the past over one-and-a-half years, the Atta-Dal scheme of the SAD-BJP government was not operational.
He said the Atta-Dal scheme was relaunched to influence voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, and SAD leaders were doing pick and choose to enroll beneficiaries for the scheme.
The Congress leader said that Atta-Dal scheme was being politicised, and added that his party would take up the issue with the Election Commission.
