Lambasting the Badals for plunging Punjab into a state of total devastation and destruction, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday asserted that this was no time to experiment with a new political dispensation as the state needed urgent intervention by an experienced leadership to usher in a `nawan sawera’ (new dawn) in the state. Addressing massive public rallies in Dharamkot and Moga, Captain Amarinder took on the Badals, and their associates Bikram Singh Majithia and Tota Singh, as well as Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), for their nefarious designs against Punjab and its people. He declared that only the Congress could bring the state back on the track of progress, and rescue the people from the misery and wretchedness in which they had been living for the past 10 years.The state had been left reeling under a multi-crore debt and a huge budget deficit, and needed experienced leaders to rescue it from the crisis into which it had been thrown by the Badals, said Captain Amarinder.
He urged the people to seriously think of whether they wanted an experienced and stable government, which only the Congress could provide, or they wanted an anarchist party like AAP or looters like the SAD-BJP combine. Captain Amarinder exhorted the people to take a decision in the interest of their future, and that of their children.While the Chhota Badal was busy making hotels and Lambu Majithia was busy selling chitta, senior Badal was busy wasting time and money in `sangat darshans’, said Captain Amarinder On the other hand, Kejriwal and his party were only interested in looting Punjab and promoting their personal interests, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president added.As a Haryanvi, Kejriwal will never stand up for the interests of Punjab, said Captain Amarinder, pointing out that the AAP leader had refused to take up his challenge of a debate and to contest these polls to show that he was really concerned about the state. With not a single Punjabi in the party, and with allegations of sale of tickets and molestation of women, AAP had absolutely no leg to stand on and could not be trusted to ensure Punjab’s development, the PPCC chief added.Pointing out that that the SGPC was in control of the Akalis, Captain Amarinder said the money that people gave for `dharma prachar’ was being used to promote the political interests of the Akalis, led by the Badals.
He accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of trying to spread communal disharmony and polarization through incidents of sacrilege and desecration, and vowed to throw him behind bars after having all such cases reinvestigated once elected to power. “Those who try to divide people using religion do not deserve any mercy,” Captain Amarinder declared.
Vowing to expose SAD’s Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia for their patronage of the drugs and other mafias, Captain Amarinder declared he would go to Majitha and Jalalabad to show their true colours to the people.“I also decided to contest Lambi for the same reason – to expose Badal and give him a good thrashing for life so that nobody else ever dares to ruin Punjab the way he has done in the past one decade,” said Captain Amarinder, amid rousing applause from the crowds.As the crowd cheered on, Captain Amarinder declared that he had come to Dharamkot to take the wind out of the sail of Akali agriculture minister and candidate Tota Singh, who had ruined thousands of people through the fertilizers, cotton seed and education scams. “Edda manja pheranga,” he declared to loud cheers.
Later in Moga, Captain Amarinder lashed out at the Akali candidate from the constituency and Tota Singh’s son Barjinder Singh Makhan Brar, allegedly involved in a sex scandal, saying people like this father-son duo were a disgrace on politics. Captain Amarinder said he had prayed to Wahe Guru to give him the strength to defeat Badal, who had used religion to divide people and destroyed an entire generation of youth with drugs, besides ruining the state’s economy.He reiterated his promise of farm debt waiver and jobs to the unemployed youth to wean them away from drugs. The party manifesto had several schemes to gainfully employ the youth and bring agriculture and industry back on track in the state, he added.Reiterating that this was his last election, Captain Amarinder said it was time to hand over the reins of the state to the youth. He urged government employees, who had suffered extreme discrimination at the hands of the Badal government, to join hands with the Congress to revive the state’s growth and bring the lost smiles back to the faces of its people.