The Punjab Congress has flayed Akali leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal for trying to mislead the people over the farm debt waiver promise of Captain Amarinder Singh, saying their statements on the issue smacked of sheer ignorance.In a statement issued here on Saturday, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) leaders Sunil Jakhar, Manpreet Singh Badal and Sukhbinder Sarkaria accused Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and Union Minister Harsimrat Badal of misleading the farmers on the issue of Captain Amarinder’s meeting with the prime minister.While the Congress at the central level was seeking the Modi government’s support to alleviate the sufferings of the farmers across the country, as far as Punjab is concerned, Captain Amarinder is committed to fulfilling his promise of waiving off the loans of the farmers once the party comes to power in the state, whether or not the prime minister agrees to address their concerns, said the PPCC leaders.
The PPCC leaders charged the Badals with playing with the sentiments of the farmers of Punjab, already reeling under serious problems precipitated by the Akali government, with their deceptive statements.Contrary to what the Badals are trying to project with their misleading propaganda, the fact is that Captain Amarinder has stated categorically that the debts of the farmers in Punjab would be waived off once he comes to power, irrespective of whether or not the state receives any help from the central government, the PPCC leaders pointed out.The Punjab Congress president, they said, had made an avowed commitment in this regard, which he had clearly reiterated on Friday after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi as part of a Rahul Gandhi-led Congress delegation.
Neither the farmers, nor the arhtiyas in Punjab would have to pay a single paise from their pockets to settle the debts, which have brought farmers in the state to the brink of disaster, causing many of them to take their lives, the PPCC leaders asserted, citing Captain Amarinder’s clear stance on this issue. They recalled that the PPCC president had even earlier cleared loans, as promised, during his previous tenure as the state chief minister.Sukhbir and Harsimrat, said the Punjab Congress leaders, were merely trying to befool the people ahead of the Assembly elections in the state by twisting facts and making baseless charges against Captain Amarinder.These tactics, they said, would not help the Badals escape the wrath of the people in the coming elections, which would witness a total rout of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the state.