reased the debt on the state but pushed seven lakh more families below the poverty line (BPL).
Addressing a rally here, Capt Amarinder Singh asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son Sukhbir Badal to explain to the people of Punjab as to what they did during the last five years other than making Punjab poorer. ''They have not only pushed the debt on Punjab to Rs 1.72 lakh crore but also added seven lakh more families to below the poverty line in the state, he said.
Questioning the claims of the father-son duo about seeking votes for development, Capt Amarinder said Badals should feel ashamed of the fact that during their regime seven lakh more families had become poorer while they themselves had become richer and richer by thousands of crores. Calling for change in Punjab, the PCC President said, it was not the issue of merely changing the regime it was the question of safeguarding the future of coming generations.
''If Punjab is allowed to slide the way Akalis have made it to slide the coming generations will not forgive us,'' he said. Addressing the concerns of the border areas, the former Chief Minister said he had drawn up a comprehensive plan for special incentives to the industry along the 16 km border belt during his tenure and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had agreed to it. ''Unfortunately the Akalis abandoned the programme,'' he regretted while promising to take it up again once Congress forms the government.