As the Congress announced to boycott the Khadoor Sahib by-election, the Opposition parties BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), fired salvos on Punjab Congress chief Capt. Amarinder Singh accusing him of betraying the people of the State.
Not only from the Opposition, but Capt Amarinder also had to face severe criticism from within the party with its senior leader, Jagmeet Brar coming out vehemently against the decision.
Accusing Congress of striking a secret deal with SAD, (AAP on Wednesday said Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh seems to have struck an overnight secret deal with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to withdraw from the Khadoor Sahib By-poll slated for February 13 at the last moment.
AAP Sangrur MP, Bhagwant Mann said AICC general secretary and in charge Punjab party affairs, Shakeel Ahmed had on Sunday said that he had sent MlA Ramanjit Singh Sikki's name to party president Sonia Gandhi and Sikki's name would be announced in a day or two. Besides senior Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh on Tuesday had said Sikki would be filing his nomination papers on January 27, the last day for filing the nominations, said Mann.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that this was not the first time Amarinder has played into the hands of Akalis. “By refusing to support the CBI probe against Punjab Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Amarinder had defied the stand taken by his own party high command,” added Singh.
later in a press statement, Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma said that Congress is no more a player in Punjab politics. He said, "By running away from the crucial poll, the Congress has accepted that party's days are numbered in Punjab and the day is not far away when the Congress would be completely decimated in this border state."
launching a scathing attack on the PPCC president Capt. Amarinder Singh, the BJP State chief said, "The development is an indicator that Amarinder has no control over Punjab Congress. The Congress dissident Bhupinder Singh Bittu has filed his nomination papers, as an independent from Khadoor Sahib. This clearly reflects that Amarinder has zero command over Punjab Congress, said he.“Under Amarinder leadership, the Congress party would taste a big defeat, third in a row, in the Punjab elections to be held early next year,” Sharma added.
Soon after the announcement of boycott was made public, Congress leader Jagmeet Brar said in a tweet that boycott was a surrender before Badal and Akali’s. He termed the boycott to be a betrayal with Patriotic Punjabis. He also claimed to have received a mail yester-night of finalizing of the Congress candidate for Khadoor Sahib.
In his tweet, Brar said, “A fraud, backstabs again. Congress boycott in Khadoor Khadoor Sahib justification for running away boycotting, desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and behbal kalan, Wah!. Other reasons janta jane.” “My heart bleeds to write, we surrendered before Badal and Akali's. We have given up. I and the Congress worker fought for 35 years. Feel bad,” he tweeted.