Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday took over as Punjab Congress chief in ‘Badlav Rally’ at Badals’ home-turf with the State party unit putting up a united face with almost all the senior leaders ensuring their presence.
After the outgoing Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa handed over the party flag to his successor, thus, formally handing over the charge of PPCC president to him, Capt Amarinder, swearing by a ‘gutka’ (holy text) and Takht Damdama Sahib, vowed to wipe out the drug menace in the state within four weeks if he took over as Chief Minister.
Holding a rally in response to Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s challenge of holding a rally in Bathinda, Capt Amarinder succeeded in attracting the crowd double than that of the SAD’s first ‘Sadbhavna Rally’ held at the same venue. The party claimed a gathering of five lakh.
“Sukhbir Badal had called me an old lion. let me tell him, I am still fit enough to gobble up his entire family of giddars (jackals),” he declared.
Capt Amarinder, virtually announcing the party’s agenda for 2017 assembly elections, promised to continue with the social welfare schemes, ending corruption, generating employment opportunities, among other things.
“I will ensure the end of corruption and education for all, particularly in Government schools, to enable the youth for employment. I swear by the tenth Guru that FIRs against all Congress workers and others lodged under the influence of the SAD government will be cancelled,” he said after taking over as PPCC president for the third time.
Promising a new era of happy and prosperous Punjab, Capt Amarinder pledged to end the scourge of drugs in the State along with corruption and police high handedness as a top priority after forming the Government in 2017.
Expressing concern over the growing suicide by farmers, Capt Amarinder appealed to them to bear with him for one year more and he will ensure all their problems were solved and sorted out once he formed the Government.
He also announced that he will stop auctioning of the land of the farmers who may have defaulted on loans as also provide subsidy to the industry to buy land to set up units in Punjab. Once the Government is formed he will talk to the banks to provide relief to the farmers, he said.
Buoyed over the presence of a huge number of people along with the entire party leadership including all the MlAs, MPs and office-bearers from the State, Capt Amarinder declared that this rally will mark the beginning of the end for the Akalis.
Holding the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal directly responsible for sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari, he said that if the scope of the CBI inquiry is widened and police action included in it, the actual finger will be pointed at the Badals only.
Referring to the undue control of the Badals over the religious institutions like the SGPC, Capt Amarinder said: “While the Congress being a secular party cannot participate in these elections, I will personally support anyone and everyone who will oppose them (the Badals) when elections will be held to ensure their defeat.”
Besides, he announced that the Shagun scheme amount will be enhanced to `51,000 and the old age and widow pension will be enhanced to `2,000 per month. Free electricity to the Dalits will be extended to 300 units per month against the current 200 units, he said.
Capt Amarinder also declared that he will end Badals’ monopoly over transport business as they will no longer be allowed to operate multiple buses on a single permit. “While they can operate one permissible bus on one permit, rest of the route permits will be distributed among the unemployed youth,” he said while adding that he will also end Badals’ monopoly on cable distribution.
Former PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa, who also received a warm response from the audience, said he could sacrifice his post 20 times over if his party wanted him to. “With Capt Amainder as the State party leader, we will together work out a strategy to put an end to the chaos created by the Badals,” he said.