Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday refuted the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s claims that Congress party was planning to align with the radicals in the forthcoming assembly elections.
At the same time, he reiterated that the Congress party was open to join hand with the “like-minded parties”.
“Don't worry we are strong enough of our own to make you march out of Punjab and we really don't need anybody's help, much less that of the radicals,” he told Sukhbir, while adding, “However, we are open to alliance with likeminded parties only and not the radicals”.
The former Chief Minister also ridiculed the Punjab government decisions of doubling the old age and widow pensions from Rs 250 to Rs 500 a month, when Congress has already announced that these would be enhanced to Rs 2,000 per month.
He also wondered from where will the government generate extra money when it is not in a position to pay the pensions and salaries at the current rate. “This is clearly aimed at bluffing the people ahead of elections…When the pensions and salaries are pending to be paid for about six to eight months, announcing to enhance these sounds ridiculous,” he said.
Referring to Sukhbir's charges that Congress was planning to align with the radicals, Capt Amarinder advised him to read his statement carefully where he had said that Congress was open to an alliance with likeminded parties only.
“Do you really think that Congress and parties like Akali Dal (Amritsar) are likemindedIJ” he asked Sukhbir, while telling him, “and if you really think so you really seem to have lost your mind”.
Capt Amarinder reiterated that Congress was a secular and nationalist party which had laid down so many sacrifices to save the secular fabric of the state and the country while Akalis, particularly the Badals have been outright opportunists changing their stand and commitments every now and then to suit their convenience.
“Radicals like Simranjit Singh Mann are a spent force and nobody takes them seriously anymore. The very fact that Mann was not allowed to speak at the Sarbat Khalsa should be enough for everyone to understand that while the people were angry with the Badals, they did not support his (Mann's) agenda either,” he observed.