SAD may take on Congress on SYL issue

CHANDIGARH: As the 10-day budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha starts on Monday, the SAD-BJP combine would set the tone for it by staging a dharna at the Matka Chowk here. The offensive posture of the entire legislative group of both the parties would be displayed when leader of the opposition Parkash Singh Badal would lead the threehour protest demonstration against the Amarinder Singh government and demand restoration of free water and electricity facility to farmers, pension for old persons and abolition of octroi.
A day after lending unconditional support to the chief minister on the contentious SYL issue at the all-party meeting on Saturday, Badal is likely to corner Amarinder Singh in the Vidhan Sabha for not handling the case properly in the Supreme Court.
After joining hands with the chief minister for waging legal and administrative fight, Badal would endeavour to project the SAD as the real protector of farmers'' interests and paint the Congress black for its alleged role in putting Punjab on the back foot in the SYL controversy. The opposition is also expected to mount offensive on the government for its failure to deal effectively with the outbreak of gastroenteritis in some parts of the state. While about a dozen persons have died of the disease in the state, hundreds of them have been taken ill in Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and Ludhiana districts.
Another issue that is likely to invite flak to the Amarinder Singh government is the incidents of custodial death and increasing crime against dalits. Balachaur town in Nawanshahr district remained under curfew last week after a dalit died in police custody. Tension had also gripped Amritsar district a day later where again a custodial death took place.
There have been string of incidents involving excesses against dalits in the state which the opposition is likely to use as a stick to beat the government with.
SAD secretary DS Cheema said there had been complete collapse of the law and order machinery in the state. He said the party would also highlight involvement of ministers in cases of corruption and pull up the government for administrative irregularities.