Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party why it was scared of probe into the desecration of holy Quran in Malerkotla.
“Given the anarchic proclivities and subversive tendencies of the AAP, nothing can be ruled out at this stage,” replied Capt Amarinder to a question over the suspicion of an AAP MlA Naresh Yadav’s involvement in the sacrilege case.
“If the party believes that its MlA Naresh Yadav, who has emerged to be a prime suspect, was really innocent, why it did not trust the courtsIJ" Capt Amarinder asked in an informal interaction with reporters after formally welcoming the AICC secretary in-charge for Punjab Asha Kumari.
Capt Amarinder said that if there was Yadav’s hand in the Quran sacrilege, he must be put behind bars.
Hitting hard at the ruling SAD, Capt Amarinder said that whether it was the torn pages of Guru Granth Sahib or burning of Quran sharif, “it all is happening Badal’s rule…Both Akali Dal and AAP are creating communal atmosphere just to take its advantage during elections”.
Also taking a dig at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal's claims over honesty and integrity after his Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar was arrested by the CBI over corruption charges, Capt Amarinder said that Kumar had been removed during Sheila Dikshit's tenure over graft complaints but still Kejriwal preferred him to be his Principal Secretary.
“Kejriwal has, so far, lived with a delusional belief and a myth that he is the lone and the last honest surviving living being on earth and today, that myth has been completely exposed,” said Capt Amarinder.
When told that Kejriwal was claiming it to be vendetta by Modi, the former Chief Minister retorted, “When ED issued notices to my son at the behest of Arun Jaitley, the AAP leaders went into mad race to authenticate and validate those baseless charges and now when they have themselves felt the heat, they are crying vendetta.”
Capt Amarinder said, “If the Modi government and its Finance Minister target Congress leaders, they (APP) are fine with it, rather they are supportive of it, but when Kejriwal's own corrupt officials and ministers get caught, Kejriwal starts crying vendetta.”
Responding to a query about AAP's manifesto, PPCC president reiterated that it was a carbon copy of what Congress has been announcing all along. “It is so ridiculous that those who drafted their manifesto could not even tweak it a bit to make it look different instead of a stolen document,” he said.
He added, “let them tell us what is distinct and different about their manifesto, which we have not announced already.”
Earlier, addressing an impressive function organized to welcome the newly-appointed secretary in-charge Asha Kumari, Capt Amarinder said that he had known her for a long time and her presence will strengthen the party.
He appealed to the party cadres and leaders to close their ranks to form the government. “The Akalis are down in the dumps and AAP has already been exposed in Delhi and what they have been doing in Punjab,” he said, while asking the party workers to reach out to the people as they saw their only hope in Congress.
Addressing the party leaders and workers, Kumari said that she felt honoured and privileged to have been given an opportunity to work in Punjab. “I had worked with Capt Amarinder in 2002 elections also. Now I have been given extra responsibility and I hope with your support and cooperation, I will do better this time,” she said.
Party general secretary and the Punjab Congress Campaign Committee chairperson Ambika Soni said that there was complete unity and unanimity among the rank and file under the leadership of Capt Amarinder and that come what may, the party has to win the elections this time.