Tens of thousands of people turned up to accord a rousing reception to Capt Amarinder Singh at a public rally late evening here today. Shouting slogans in support of Capt Amarinder and the Congress they assured him that they will ensure that he wins again from Patiala by a record margin.
Acknowledge the love and support showered at him by the people of Patiala, Capt Amarinder said, he was feeling lucky that he had supporters like them. “You told me that I should not worry about Patiala and campaign in rest of Punjab and I am precisely doing that”, he told a cheering crowd, while adding, that he felt more confident and sure that Congress was certain to set a record in Patiala.
He said, he was really thankful to people of Patiala when he looked at Mr Parkash Singh Badal who had been held back in Lambi only and was not able to move out and still he was not sure about winning.
Responding to the demands of the people that he must not forget the atrocities committed by the Akali-BJP alliance on the Congress workers during all these years, particularly at the time of corporation elections, he asked, “how can I forget those scenes when a young girl was dragged out by the Akali goons just on the suspicion that she had voted for the Congress”.
The PCC President promised that each and every case of vendetta and victimization will be settled and sorted out and the guilty fixed and punished. “It is no joke that you victimize our party workers”, he asserted, while announcing that those who indulged in vendetta will have to pay for that. He condemned the Akali-BJP alliance that other than vendetta and loot and robbery of the state resources, it did not do anything.
Expressing his special gratitude to the women workers who had come to listen to him and waited for a long time there, Capt Amarinder said, the Congress had decided that each and every girl child born in Punjab will get Rs 15000 in fixed deposit at the time of birth, Rs 5000 at the time of going to school and same amount during different stages of her study. He said, this was just one feature of the manifesto and there were several other special provisions for their welfare.
The PCC President also ridiculed the Akali Dal for copying the Congress manifesto. “As I had always been telling you that they have nothing to offer to people of their own and they waited for our manifesto to come so that they could bring in theirs”, he said, while asking the Akalis to spell out what really they had promised in it (their manifesto).
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Minister of State for External Affairs Ms Perneet Kaur, District Congress president Prem Kishen Puri, MLA Brham Mohindra, Ms Jai Inder Kaur and others.