Asserting that it was a classic case of ‘pot calling kettle black’, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar today dismissed the Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal’s allegations about the Congress legislators interfering in the functioning of the government or being involved in illegal sand mining.He also rejected Sukhbir’s charge that the officers were not under control of the Chief Minister, saying Capt Amarinder was known for his administrative ability and efficiency and in providing better governance and he needed no lessons from someone like Sukhbir.“Moreover, it ill behoves Sukhbir, who himself subverted the bureaucracy and the police hierarchy in the state by superimposing jathedars on them, to accuse Capt Amarinder of something he (Sukhbir) is himself guilty of”, the PCC president said.Questioning the moral authority of the SAD president to accuse the Congress legislators of indulging in illegal sand mining, Jakhar remarked, “it is an irony that the person who presided over the loot and robbery of the state resources for ten years was now trying to shift the blame on the Congress”.
The PCC president dared the Akali leader to quote one instance that could match the bold and daring step of Capt Amarinder in curbing the illegal activities in the state, whether it was illegal sand mining or the scourge of drugs, all inherited from the Akali-BJP regime.Advising Sukhbir not to bother about the working of the Congress government, Jakhar assured him that he would soon see the promises being fulfilled as the beginning had already been made in the first year itself.“We have already done in one year what you could not do in ten years whether in terms of providing jobs, waiving off loans or curbing the drug peddling and we are resolved to take it to the logical conclusion”, he asserted, while pointing out, “The Akali Dal president should realize that the mess they created during the last ten years will take some time to be cleared and he must have patience”.