Navjot Singh Sidhu front has BJP blessings : Capt Amarinder Singh
Promises extension of SC welfare schemes to Christians
5 Dariya News
Ajnala (Amritsar) 17-Sep-2016
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today dismissed the proposed fourth front being floated by Navjot Singh Sidhu as inconsequential saying it seems to have been propped up by the BJP only.“It is like a tonga party of four people, two sitting in the front and two in the back which will hardly have any impact”, he told reporters, while asserting that four people do not make a political party as it required much more than that. At the same time, he said, they were welcome to form a party as it was their democratic right.The PCC president promised to end the discrimination against the Christians and other minorities saying Congress has always believed in equality of all religions and equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of the caste, creed or religion the person belonged to.Addressing a massive Christian congregation organised by ex-MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala here today, he promised that once the Congress government comes to power in Punjab, all the welfare schemes announced for the Dalits and downtrodden, like the Shagun scheme or free power will also be extended to the Christian community.Capt Amarinder agreed that the Christian community in Punjab had been left behind and special measures were required to ensure that it gets its due. He promised to end discrimination and ensure that they got everything that they are entitled to as the citizens of this country.The PCC president also accepted a memorandum from the community which was read out at the stage by senior party leader and PCC general secretary Salamat Masih.
He said, each and every demand will be included in the election manifesto and after the government formation each and every commitment will be fulfilled.As a special measure to ensure that the Christian community was represented in the state legislature, he said that the Congress government will pass a law in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that will enable nomination of a member of the community in the Vidhan Sabha on the pattern of Chhattisgarh state. He said, this will end to a large extent the discrimination being felt and faced by the Christian community in Punjab.Asked to comment on AAP’s claims that its competition was with the Akali Dal and not with the Congress, Capt Amarinder remarked, “of course the competition is between the two of them for the second spot as we are far ahead of them and none of the two stands any completion with us”. He said, forming the government was too far, the AAP will not win even a single seat.About Bhagwant Mann, he said, he had no idea about his intentions and whereabouts. “However, I must say that there is strong sense of introspection among the Punjabi AAP leaders, who are the sons of the soil, about they being ruled over and exploited by the others and they are duly standing up against it and may be Bhagwant Mann is also feeling the same way”, remarked.Those present today included Chairperson of the Campaign Committee Ms Ambika Soni, AICC in charge for Punjab Ms Asha Kumari, Secretary AICC Harish Kumar, MP Partap Singh Bajwa, Harpartap Ajnala, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukh Sarkaria, Gurjeet Aujla, Salamat Masih, Sonu Jaffar, Ibrahim Irshad and others.