Dubbing the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as a “divisive” figure, Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said that the people of Punjab in general and Amritsar in particular will never approve of “world view” of Gujarat Chief Minister.
Referring to Modi’s proposed visit to Amritsar on April 25 to campaign for SAD-BJP combine candidate Arun Jaitley, Capt Amarinder said: “Modi is not the first person to campaign for Jaitley and nor is he going to be the last one.”
“There is already a plethora of people with higher glamour quotient than Modi who have been campaigning for Jaitley. Glamour may grab the attention for a while but it does not get you votes,” said Capt Amarinder, adding that Modi’s Amritsar rally will be worse than Jagraon.
Questioning Modi about his commitment that no Punjabi farmer will be disturbed from Gujarat, Capt Amarinder said that he seemed to have forgotten the commitment that very moment, apparently for low turnout, as his Government was yet to withdraw the appeal against the farmers in the Supreme Court.
“Apparently upset with low turnout at his rally, he did not follow up his commitment to Punjabis that the Punjabi farmers in Gujarat will not be disturbed… Had he been sincere about his commitment, he would immediately have initiated the move and asked his officials to withdraw the appeal against the Gujarat High Court decision that favours the Punjabi farmers,” he said.
Jaitley retorts on Bhopal tragedy
Senior BJP leader and combine candidate Arun Jaitley on Monday clarified about the allegation levelled against him by his Congress rival Capt Amarinder Singh in connection with the Bhopal gas tragedy, saying, “I have advised and appeared for thousands of clients as a part of my professional commitment.”
“If persons or a company not involved in the tragedy, wanted to have the benefit of my advice, it is my professional ethics as a lawyer to give them the correct legal advice. This is what I have done,” he said.
Jaitley added that the name of the lawyer who appeared against Bhopal gas tragedy victims is Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is the chief spokesperson of Capt Amarinder’s political party.Govt fails to avail schemes Senior Congress leader and Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Monday said that the State Akali-BJP Government had failed to avail various welfare Central schemes. “It is quite strange that this Government is trying to put the blame for its own failures on the Central Government,” he said.
Sharma also cautioned the people against BJP’s divisive ideology led by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.Referring to BJP leader Amit Shah’s statement that Modi was bringing in tsunami, he said: “Shah has himself said it right as Modi, like a tsunami, will only leave a trail of disaster and destruction.” Jaitley lies on property
Asserting that SAD-BJP candidate Arun Jaitely was resorting to lies and disinformation campaign, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday asked him as how could he blame him (Capt Amarinder) for the decision to impose property tax in Punjab taken by his alliance Government in Punjab in 2013, seven years after he had completed his term.
Referring to the disinformation campaign launched by Jaitley on the issue, Capt Amarinder pointed out that it “defies all logic... Even the BJP State president has admitted in a newspaper interview that they had no option but to impose property tax in the State. So how do I come into the pictureIJ
“By trying to repeatedly tell the same lie Jaitley, BJP and the Akalis are trying to divert the public attention as people are angry with their decision to impose this tax,” said Amarinder.
Badal’s silence rapped Rapping Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s evasive silence over his role in Operation Bluestar, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday asked him to tell the people of Punjab, particularly in Amritsar, as what transpired between you and the then Union Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao on March 26, 1984.
“Your evasive silence will only establish your guilt of not only having betrayed your leader but the people you were supposed to represent,” he told Badal.“I have been asking Badal for last six months to reveal what transpired in that secret meeting but he has sheepishly kept quiet so far... Is it not a fact that during that secret meeting on March 26, 1984, you requested Rao to send military to Darbar Sahib to flush out the militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale as you were fatally scared of himIJ” he asked Badal, adding, as why did he need to meet Rao alone when he was not authorised to do so.
He said that Harchand Singh longowal had authorised three people to hold negotiations with the Central Government including Badal, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Surjit Singh Barnala, and they were not supposed to meet anyone individually. “But why did Badal meet Rao without the knowledge of longowal and his two other colleagues. Obviously he had stuck a deal with the Centre to get rid of Bhindrawale,” he said.
‘Jaitley a migratory bird’
Congress candidate from Amritsar Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday warned the voters against buying “hoax” dreams of migratory birds like Arun Jaitley who had come to contest from here to keep his political ambitions alive.
“Jaitley spent 14 years as Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat. Ask him as what he did for Gujarat during those 14 years... he will have no answers as he did nothing and that was the reason he had to fly like a migratory bird from Gujarat to Punjab as he did not find the political climate suitable there anymore,” he said while addressing public rally organised by Congress MlA OP Soni in Amritsar Central constituency.