BADALS
WASH HANDS OF NRI AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
Ludhiana, Oct. 28, 2009
Qila Raipur MLA Jassi Khangura today questioned why the father
and son duo of S. Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal were so
keen to hand the NRI Affairs portfolio to the newly sworn in Cabinet
Minister S. Sewa Singh Sekhwan?
Khangura stated “Throughout this government the NRI Affairs
department has been the responsibility of either the Chief Minister
or the Deputy Chief Minister, so whilst one welcomes a fresh face
to the portfolio, one is equally worried as to what sort of “Work
in Progress” their successor will actually inherit. After
all, neither Mr Badal or his son were known to actively manage
this department. Both paid lip service to NRI issues and the only
substantive statements that the Chief Minister made in this regard
were at the January 2008 NRI Samellan, which have not been fulfilled.”
Khangura suggested that as part of the handover of the NRI Affairs
Department to S. Sekhwan there should be a note from the Deputy
Chief Minister that clearly records all progress made by this
Akali Dal- BJP government in promoting NRI issues.
Khangura stressed “The Badals have totally failed the
NRI community. They have accelerated the loot of NRI property
and land. Hundreds, if not thousands, of additional NRIs have
been declared proclaimed offenders. Thousands of NRIs have been
falsely implicated. I do not know with which face the Badals can
turn to the NRI community to seek investment in Punjab.”
NRIs are no longer likely to remain passive spectators. Khangura
stated that the world over there is a groundswell of NRI opinion
against the ruling Punjab government in general, and the ruling
family in particular.
Khangura added “The Badals may think that it is fair game
to discriminate against the NRI Punjabis as most of them do not
have votes in Punjab. But what the father and son are both missing
is a marked NRI political awakening, which will accelerate the
demise of this deceitful government.”
With NRI Punjabi wealth exceeding the Gross State Domestic Product
of Punjab, Khangura lamented that “It is a great shame that
this government has scared away NRIs from investing in Punjab.
Had this Government even shown some measure of respect for the
main NRI issues of property, land, matrimonial affairs, false
charges, false proclaimed offender classifications, false black
list inclusions, etc… NRIs may still have come forward.
As it is Punjab has lost most of what should have been a massive
NRI-lead investment boom in Punjab.”
Khangura added “I wish S. Sekhwan the best and I suggest
that, unlike his predecessors, he visits the major NRI communities
at the earliest to understand their anger and frustration.”
Jassi Khangura
28 October 2009
