With the concept of Grand Alliance getting political currency after its success in Bihar, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Thursday said that his party was open to forge an alliance with “like-minded secular parties” for the 2017 Assembly polls.
Addressing his maiden Press conference here after taking over as State unit chief two days ago, Capt Amarinder said that the people of Punjab were “disillusioned” by the ruling Akalis and felt that AAP had “neither a face nor any policy” in the State.
The Congress leader said that the party was very much open to alliance with like minded parties, particularly the CPI and CPM, the People’s Party of Punjab and the Bahujan Samaj Party. He disclosed that he had spoken to the CPM leaders and PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal over the matter. He hoped that the BSP will also be positively inclined towards the idea.
On being asked whether the said alliance was in the lines of the grand alliance of Bihar, Singh said, “let me make it clear people are totally disillusioned with the Akalis and they are well aware about AAP’s capabilities..We will talk to all secular forces...But the entire thing will rest on whether we can meet their demand (of seat adjustment).
“I hope they (like-minded parties) will also understand that it is the question of Punjab’s future and let us not make demands which other parties cannot meet,” he said.
The Congress leader said neither AAP nor SAD posed any challenge to the Congress in the state. At the same time, it does not mean the party will lower its guard in any way after the grand success of the Bathinda rally.
The former Punjab Chief Minister said that AAP was unlikely to reap electoral gains in the 2017 Assembly elections, as the situation has changed from that of 2014, when AAP made healthy gains in the state. He admitted that NRIs may have tilted towards AAP last year in Punjab, but “they are convinced this time that Congress should form the government.”
“We will be touring Australia and New Zealand soon. And in summer, we will go to the US, Canada and UK and then Germany, Italy and other European countries will be covered. When we will convince them (NRIs), I think they will agree that AAP is not a solution. AAP has no policy, they have no face in Punjab,” he said.
The state Congress chief launched a scathing attack on AAP’s comedian-turned MP from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann. “No matter how many jokes he cracks, can he run the government. Today, the law and order situation in Punjab is bad...Industry, agriculture, jobs, economy are in a bad shape. Can Mr Bhagwant Mann deliver, you have to think. This is what we will be telling NRIs and I am sure they will agree,” he said.
Hitting out at the Badals for “dumping” all the good schemes of the previous Congress government, Amarinder Singh said, “They (Akalis) have made a mess of things including, economy, they are borrowing heavily. They are selling lands, keeping jails mortgage. Banks are not accepting guarantee from institutions now, they want a state guarantee, so the state is pledging its own properties.”
On the much-debated GST Bill, he said, “It was Congress party’s bill, it was brought by us. They made some changes, our objection is on these changes. Otherwise, it is Congress party’s Bill and we want it to come.”
The leader also favoured that names of candidates should be announced well in advance before the polls.
Meanwhile, in a major decision with an eye on the upcoming 2017 polls, Singh announced the revocation of the expulsion of Congress workers and leaders who were expelled from the party for various reasons in the recent past.
The PCC president said, this is the time to take everybody along to unite and strengthen the party. “Each and every Congress worker and leader is important for us and we are taking all of them back into the party fold,” he said.
All the expelled leaders and workers have been asked to apply for re-admission into the party to facilitate their re-entry.
He said, four zonal vice presidents, Gurpreet Kangar, O P Soni, Tarlochan Soond and Charanjit Singh Channi will be retained. Channi has since been appointed as the ClP leader.
Flanked by former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, the ClP leader Charanjit Singh Channi and senior vice president laal Singh, the PCC chief advised the party leaders not to comment on policy matters in public when they were not authorised to speak.
When asked if he had buried the hatchet with bete noire Pratap Singh Bajwa, Amarinder said, “This is now concerning future of Punjab. We are all united on that issue. If we have to win the game, win the elections, then we have to fight as one”. He also noted that the party will not hold any big rally till the elections.
Instead, he added, the party will form clusters of 10 booths and interact with the people and workers from these booths.
Taking a dig at the Akali Dal over holding investor summit meets, he said, “Merely inviting big businessmen and corporates and giving them lunch and dinner is not going to work, till the time we create congenial conditions for the industry back home”.