Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh has accused the Badals and Arvind Kejriwal of striking an underhand deal for the upcoming state assembly elections, saying AAP’s nomination of Jarnail Singh from Lambi against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal appeared to be a ploy to ensure the latter’s victory.Jarnail Singh was a complete non-entity, with no standing in Punjab, Captain Amarinder pointed out, adding that it was evident that the Badals had come to some understanding with Kejriwal to save senior Badal from a certain rout in the forthcoming polls. It was a clear case of collusion between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said Captain Amarinder, adding that Jarnail was a complete lightweight and the only reason to pit him against Badal from the high-profile Lambi constituency could be to try and make the seat safe for the chief minister.Both SAD and AAP, said Captain Amarinder, were getting desperate in the face of their imminent defeat in the Assembly polls and had clearly come to an agreement to help each other in a bid to prevent the Congress from coming to power. However, Captain Amarinder asserted that nothing could now stop the Congress juggernaut from sweeping its way to a clear majority in the state.
Captain Amarinder said he would not be surprised if money had exchanged hands and AAP had agreed to support the Badals in return for cash or other benefits, especially given the party’s past history. He cited widespread allegations of corruption and sale of tickets against the AAP leadership to say there was enough reason to believe that the party leaders were willing to sell off their souls to promote their personal interests.Kejriwal and his party had made it amply clear over the past few weeks that they did not have the interests of Punjab or its people at heart and were only concerned about advancing their interests, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president said. Their decision to field Jarnail, once a small-time journalist and only recently elevated as co-incharge and AAP spokesman for Punjab, against Badal had further proved that the party cared neither for Punjab nor its people, said Captain Amarinder.Terming AAP as an anti-Punjab organization of greedy and corrupt individuals, Captain Amarinder pointed out that Kejriwal’s refusal to take a stand for the state on the SYL issue was also a clear pointer to his total absence of concern for Punjab and its people.