Chandigarh, Sep 26 Punjab does not need either the “Delhi model” or the “Gujarat model”, but should develop its own model inspired by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule, with justice, public welfare and prosperous agriculture at its centre, Akali Dal Waris Punjab De leader Manpreet Singh Ayali said on Saturday.
Addressing the party’s ‘Panthic’ conference at the Chhapar Mela in Ludhiana, the Dakha MLA said, “Neither the Gujarat model nor the Delhi model; Punjab has its own model — the Maharaja Ranjit Singh model.”
Ayali said Punjab should formulate a development model suited to its historical, social and economic realities, focusing on justice, public welfare, agriculture, trade, employment and the future of the youth.
Referring to development works undertaken in his Dakha constituency, he said initiatives at the local level could also lay the foundation for major change.
“The development model should not be confined merely to constructing roads and buildings. The real objective of development should be to connect young people with sports, education, work and employment and to strengthen the rural economy,” he said.
On the drug issue, Ayali said protecting Punjab’s youth from drugs was of “paramount importance”. Different governments had promised to eradicate drugs, but the situation on the ground remained “extremely bad,” he said.
“Drugs have today become the biggest question concerning our youth and our future. So many governments have come, and every time slogans were raised — ‘we will eradicate drugs, we will make Punjab drug-free’ – but even today the question remains the same: when will our youth come out of the quagmire of drugs?” he asked.
It was out of this concern that MP Amritpal Singh launched the “Khalsa Vaheer”, a traditional religious procession aimed at steering young people away from drugs and reconnecting them with ‘Gurbani’ and ‘Sikhi’, Ayali said.
He said the campaign encouraged young people to stay away from drugs and give a new direction to their lives.
Ayali said the person who launched the campaign had been kept imprisoned “hundreds of kilometres away from Punjab”.
Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who leads the Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, is lodged in a jail in Assam in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case.
Referring to the BJP’s yatra against drugs, Ayali said Punjab needed concrete results rather than political yatras and slogans.
He sought answers from the Centre on the role of the BSF and central agencies in checking cross-border drug smuggling, alleging that both the central and state governments had failed to break the drug supply chain.
On agriculture, Ayali said the struggles and sacrifices of Punjab’s farmers could not be forgotten.
Instead of merely expressing sympathy over farmers’ problems, there was a need for clear policies on MSP, cultivation costs, debt, crop diversification and the future of crops, he said.
Farmers were the backbone of Punjab’s economy and the state’s economic prosperity could not be imagined without strengthening agriculture, he said.
On industry, Ayali said it was another backbone of Punjab’s economy and a vision document for the sector would be prepared in consultation with industry experts in the coming days.
Speaking on Sikh institutions, Ayali said the prolonged delay in holding Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections had raised questions over the institution’s management and accountability.
He demanded that SGPC elections be held and its management placed in the hands of representatives elected by the ‘Sangat’ (Sikh community).
Addressing the gathering, Akali Dal Waris Punjab De working president Tarsem Singh said Punjab needed politics that was not confined merely to capturing power but placed the interests of Punjab, Punjabis and the ‘Sangat’ at its centre.
He said Punjab had given opportunities to different political parties over a long period, but the state was still awaiting answers to fundamental questions concerning its waters, agriculture, youth, employment, industry and Sikh institutions.
Singh, the father of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, said there was a need to build people-centric politics guided by the philosophy of the Sikh Gurus, with equality, justice, service and public welfare accorded priority.
(PTI News)
