Following the age-old adage “you have to win small battles to win the war”, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh is all set to chalk out one-to-one interaction programme with the voters of Punjab at the grassroot level.
Before embarking on his village-to-village voter-wooing-mission, Capt Amarinder will hold meetings with the party’s sitting and former MlAs on Thursday. The meeting will primarily focus on planning constituency-wise programme of holding small meetings at village level.
Already, Capt Amarinder had made it clear that he would mainly concentrate on making personal contact with the people of the State public instead of addressing them over the loudspeaker.
Days after his appointment as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, Capt Amarinder had announced to launch one-to-one campaign instead of holding mass rallies in the state in a run up to State assembly polls, scheduled to be held in February 2017.
The party has, a day before, sound the poll bugle at Badals’ home-turf, Bathinda, with the “coronation” of Capt Amarinder as the State party’s chief. The party not only managed to attract huge crowds, but also succeeded in putting up a united face — a must have for defeating the SAD-BJP ruling combine.
“It has already been decided that the party would not organise big rallies but would go for one-to-one interaction with the people from village to village, town to town,” a senior Congress leader told The Pioneer.
The Congress leader said that Capt Amarinder will official assume the charge of PPCC president’s office on Thursday following which “a meeting with the party MlAs, both sitting and former, would be held to chalk out the constituency-wise programme”.
“The party president will get in touch with people and listen to their problems and grievances. Platform will also be utilised to make them aware of party’s policies, and anti-people stand of the ruling SAD-BJP regime,” said the Congress leader.
The farming community and the rural areas are considered to be SAD’s stronghold. However, the Congressmen claimed that a large number of people from the rural areas and farming community attended Congress’ Bathinda rally “which gives clear signal that they no more believe in false promises that SAD has been making with them and fooling them for all these years”. Capt Amarinder has already alerted the party leaders and workers, from top to the bottom, that it was not the time to sit and wait, but “to act”.
In an apparent attempt to make a clear cut departure from his perceived image of a politician with a stiff upper lip, the Patiala Royal has decided to take on the streets to mingle with the crowd against the ruling SAD-BJP Government.
Capt Amarinder, during his previous tenure as the State
party chief and also the Chief Minister, has been criticised by his party colleagues for being inaccessible to them, what to talk of the common man.
During 2014 lok Sabha elections, Capt Amarinder brought
a change in his style of functioning and tried to cover maximum areas in Amritsar constituency, despite lack of time.
In sync with the same, Capt Amarinder on Wednesday maintained that he would take along everybody and it will always be
a team effort.
“My doors have always remained open and these will always remain open for my
party colleagues and workers for the betterment of the party and Punjab,” he said.