Congress candidate from Amritsar, Capt Amarinder Singh filed his nomination papers on Friday before the Returning Officer Ravi Bhagat.
He was accompanied by his wife and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, who is the Minister of State for External Affairs, son Raninder and daughter Jai Inder Kaur, besides local Congress leaders.
As per affidavit filed by Capt Amarinder, he and his spouse have moveable assets worth Rs5.27 crore including cash in hand Rs10,30,000, total deposits in bank accounts: Rs91,86,123, investment in bonds, debentures, share etc Rs67,58,100, personal loan to any person or firm and company Rs2,15,18,839, motor vehicles — SUV Fortuner worth Rs32 lakh, Innova car for Rs11.5 lakh and gold jewelry including diamonds Rs106 lakh and silver worth Rs8.6 lakh.
Capt Amarinder Singh also declared immovable assets worth Rs80.97 crore that includes agriculture land, non-agriculture lands, commercial and residential buildings. He and his spouse showed a liability of Rs42 lakh.
Talking to reporters after filing his nomination papers, Amarinder lashed out at his opponent Arun Jaitley, the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, for not having a clear stand on the issue of terrorism in Punjab.
Questioning the silence of the BJP leader on the issue of killing of nearly 35,000 people during the time terrorism (1981-1992), Amarinder said: “Is Mr Jaitley scared of his Akali patrons lest it annoys themIJ”
He held Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal accountable for Operation Blue star in June 1984. “It was Parkash Singh Badal who during disturbed period had instigated the innocent youth to disturb the peaceful situation of Punjab and later he met the then Home Minister urging him to go ahead for Operation Bluestar,” Capt Amarinder alleged.
Talking about the Congress MP Sukhdev Singh libra who left the party due to denial of ticket, Capt Amarinder Singh says, “libra was given ticket when he supported Nuclear Treaty and Congress party made him MP. Now party decided someone else to contest in place of libra, so there is nothing wrong in it, since it was decision of party High Command and libra should have understood it”.
‘Don’t beat around the bush, tell people your Vidhan Sabha record’
Chandigarh: lashing out at Capt Amarinder Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday asked the Congress Amritsar candidate not to beat around the bush and tell the people of the State his track record as a legislator as well as give a list of his visits to the holy city, if any.
In a statement here, the SAD President said Capt Singh seemed to suffer from selective amnesia whenever he was asked about his Vidhan Sabha attendance record or about how many times he had visited Amritsar in the recent past or even during his term as Chief Minister of the State.
“Capt Singh apparently has a reason for feeling shy about his attendance record in the Vidhan Sabha”, the SAD president said adding during the last nearly two years the Congress leader had attended only three out of the 42 Vidhan Sabha sessions. “This is the seriousness he has given to representing the Patiala Assembly seat,” Badal said, adding, “the people can judge for themselves how much he will come to Amritsar post April 30 once the votes were polled.”
Badal said Capt Singh’s track record of visiting Amritsar is equally worse, adding the Congress leader was seen in Amritsar on rare occasions even during his days as Chief Minister of the State.The SAD president said even now Capt Singh did not seem serious about contesting the parliamentary poll and only seemed to be going through the motions to please the party high command which had forced him to contest the elections.