Senior Akali leaders on Monday asked Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh not to “challenge” Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal or others for a debate as “he would get enough opportunities to demonstrate his debating skills in the state Assembly if he managed to scrape through the ensuing assembly polls”.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) secretary general and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and lok Sabha MPs Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Prem Singh Chandumara, in a joint statement, said that the Punjab Congress president was sent to lok Sabha “to articulate the aspiration of the people of Punjab two years ago but he had adopted a stoic silence and invariably preferred to abstain from Parliamentary proceedings”. Capt Amarinder has no “locus-standi” to seek debate as he had “squandered the golden opportunity to participate in debates in Parliament”, they said.
The Congress, in its wisdom, had appointed Capt Amarinder as the deputy leader in lok Sabha but to its dismay, he contributed little to the proceedings of the house, they said.
“Not to speak of participation in the debates or question hour, Amarinder was not seen for days and weeks in the parliament,” they pointed while giving details of his “abysmal” record in the Parliament.
They pointed, “As per the records, Amarinder’s attendance in parliament is just six percent against the national average of 82 percent. His attendance was lowest of the 500-odd members of the lok Sabha.”