Former Punjab deputy chief minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today launched a scathing attack on Capt. Amarinder Singh stating that the Chief Minister’s desire to retire had created such a situation within 6 months of his rule that the retirement of the entire Congress from the state has become inevitable.Addressing huge gatherings in different villages of Batala and Dinanagar assembly constituencies today, Sukhbir Badal reminded people of Capt. Amarinder Singh’s statement wherein he had expressed his desire to retire from politics after completing one last term in office. Taking a dig at Capt. Amarinder Singh, Badal said, “He is the first such chief minister of Punjab who is least interested in the works of the Vidhan Sabha. If Captain has decided to retire from politics, then why not also annihilate the Congress for the betterment of the state. Though I don’t like his style of work, but I have become a big fan of his plan to decimate the Congress”.Speaking on Captain’s road show in support of Sunil Jakhar, Badal said, “"Game is over, Jakhar has already lost even before voting, and Capt Amarinder's last-minute campaign in Majha was nothing but a charade".
The hostility between Capt. Amarinder Singh and Jakhar was quite evident as the CM had ignored the poll campaign of his party chief, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna said that the schemes started by Centre’s BJP government will soon bear fruit. “Narendera Modi is the first Prime Minister of the country to rise above vote politics and take decisions in the interest of the nation. It is because of his policies that India not only has attained a respectable position on world stage, but it has also started treading on path of becoming a strong economy”, he said.Meanwhile, former Batala MLA and ex-minister Ashwini Sekhri, who had left Congress and joined SAD, pledged his support for Swaran Salaria stating that the Sekhri family will never support a parachute candidate.Sekhri’s brother Inder Sekhri said that the Congress had lost faith in local leaders, and hence had forced a candidate rejected by voters of Abohar on the people of Gurdaspur. Not only the Sekhri family, but other Congress families will also support Salaria so that the Congress realizes that it committed wrong by playing with the sentiments of workers, he said.
Addressing the gatherings, Abohar MLA Arun Narang said that the Congress should now see the writing on the wall as its own members have now lend their support to the coalition candidate. He said, “Even Apna Punjab president Sucha Singh Chottepur has agitated the Congress by openly supporting Salaria. Now, Salaria would win with an even bigger margin”.Swaran Salaria, in his address said that the Congress had accepted its defeat because it has lost the faith of people during the last 6 months. “By resorting to petty politics, the Congress leaders have made clear that they don’t have real issues to contest this election”, said Salaria.Batala MLA Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, BJP district president Rakesh Bhatia, general secretary Rajiv Ranjan, youth leader Gaurav Arora, Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Chowdhary and other leaders of the coalition were present on the occasion.