With Assembly elections a year away, Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging that while the Badals were concerned only about their family at the cost of the people of the State, Arvind Kejriwal was a “liar” who only does “dramas”.
Addressing a gathering at the political conference of his party on the occassion of Maghi Mela here, Amarinder lambasted Badals for “destroying Punjab completely”.
“People of Punjab, especially youth, are dejected due to bad policies and programmes of the SAD Government,” he said.
If voted to power, the Congress would rid Punjab of Badals and also ensure equitable development of the entire State, he further said.
“Badal (Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh) and ‘Chhota’ (referring to Sukhbir Singh Badal) are only concerned about their family and never think of the poor in the State,” he said.
The farmers are committing suicides, the youth is dejected and the industrial sector is in a poor shape under the present regime, he alleged. “Only Badal family has grown richer in Punjab, while the entire State has become poorer,” he claimed.
Taking a dig at Badal, Amarinder claimed that the Chief Minister should spare some time to think about the State as he had collected “enough money at the cost of common people”.
The Akali Government failed to introduce policies and programmes for the benefit of youth, farmers, industries and traders.
“Instead of opening avenues for jobs, Badal government closed two big industrial units set up during the Congress regime at Abohar and Hoshiarpur,” he said claiming that the Congress in its rule had waived off the debt of farmers.
Opening a frontal attack on AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Amarinder said, “This man wears a ‘topi’ (cap) and projects himself as an honest person, whereas he is a liar.”
Questioning AAP’s expenditure on the posters of Kejriwal, put up across the state, he said Congress wanted to know from where he got so much money.
How did he manage to pull crowds at AAP rally by buses, he asked while stating that Kejriwal was an “outsider.”
Amarinder further said that Kejriwal, who had shared stage with social Activist Anna Hazare, had announced publicly that he would not contest any election nor hold any post.
“But he has gone back on his announcement,” the Punjab Congress Chief said.