Dr Sidhu like my daughter, all her issues to be addressed: Badal - Hindustan Times
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Dr Sidhu like my daughter, all her issues to be addressed: Badal

Hindustan Times | By, Jandiala Guru
Jul 24, 2015 09:46 AM IST

A day after chief parliamentary secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu barged into the sangat darshan programme by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal claiming that she was denied an appointment with him for the past six months, the CM on Thursday said Dr Sidhu was like his daughter and he would ensure that all her issues were addressed.

A day after chief parliamentary secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu barged into the sangat darshan programme by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal claiming that she was denied an appointment with him for the past six months, the CM on Thursday said Dr Sidhu was like his daughter and he would ensure that all her issues were addressed.

Badal said he was accessible to all and it wasn't right that he was avoiding meeting Sidhu. He said, "I have nothing against her and can even visit her house to ensure that all her issues are addressed."

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He said the elected MLAs of the state, irrespective of the party they belonged to, were important to him and he held these public representatives in high esteem.

As Sidhu had accused Badal of giving preference to Bathinda and ignoring other cities and constituencies, the CM refuted the allegations saying the SAD-BJP government is sincerely working to ensure the overall development in every nook and corner of the state without any prejudice or regional disparity.

The chief minister said, "It is wrong to categorise any city/town or constituency as VIP as our government is committed to the development of the entire state. The allegations regarding special treatment are baseless as we have already embarked on a special scheme to ensure that every town of the state is equipped with basic amenities."

Sidhu had alleged that the Badals were bothered only about Bathinda and the Akali constituencies and her constituency Amritsar (east) was in a pathetic state as the promised grants of Rs 10 crore were awaiting clearance for months.

CPS meets Badal again

Dr Sidhu again met the chief minister just before his chopper took off from Amritsar. She said, "The CM has assured me that all matters will be resolved and that the Rs 10 crore grants will be cleared soon. I will wait till August 15, and if nothing is done, I would sit on hunger strike."


Ambulance controversy

When reminded that the Centre had stopped a grant of Rs 12.25 crore just because ambulances had a picture of the chief minister on them, Badal said, "The pictures pasted on ambulances don't affect the delivery of quality health services. My picture was hardly any issue and the state government will take an appropriate call after due deliberations."

He said it was the health department that had pasted his pictures on ambulances, wondering what difference it had made in the health services.

The chief minister said Punjab had immensely benefited from the short NDA tenure so far. He said the Centre had given several key projects to the state, which would be instrumental in putting it on a high-growth trajectory.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    A principal correspondent, Aseem Bassi is the bureau chief at Amritsar. He covers politics, Indo-Pak border, gurdwara politics, crime, border trade and civic issues.

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