Thaindian News

Chandigarh, March 26 (IANS) Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal is all set to launch his political party Sunday at a rally in Khatkar Kalan, the village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who was martyred in 1931.

Manpreet Badal, nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the cousin of the ruling Akali Dal’s president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, left the government last October following differences over governance issues.

Manpreet Badal accused the Punjab government of harassing his supporters and trying to disturb the proposed rally.

“The Punjab government is using transport department and the state police to harass and intimidate my supporters. I have got complaints that officials from the transport department are openly intimidating transporters who are providing buses to enable our supporters to reach the rally venue,” he said.

“They are told to cancel our bookings and officials are imposing penalties on them on false grounds,” he charged.

Manpreet had launched a campaign “Jago Punjab Yatra” in November last year to educate Punjab people about the misdeeds of the Akali Dal government.

“Police are also threatening our supporters. All farmers, who own the land in close proximity near the rally venue have been forcibly asked to operate their tube-wells continuously to ensure that there is standing water at the rally venue,” he said.

Manpreet Badal said he would run a membership drive for his party for the next two months and he intended to enroll around 1.5 million members.

The 48-year-old leader, who is known for keeping a low profile, is an honours graduate from Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College and studied law at a London college.

He was dropped from the ministry after his statements regarding Punjab’s Rs.700 billion (Rs.70,000 crore) debt and his demand that the party do away with subsidies and freebies to take the state out of a debt trap.