Rejecting claims of conducting a parallel campaign to boost morale of his loyalists, the former Punjab Chief Minister and permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday made it clear that his visit to Doaba region was to galvanise the party ahead of 2014 lok Sabha elections.
“Entire Punjab is my constituency as I had remained the State party chief for 16 long years and my visit was aimed at meeting partymen,” said Capt Amarinder, accompanied by Kapurthala District Congress Committee president Harjit Singh Parmar and Congress MlA Rana Gurjit Singh.
“lok Sabha elections are drawing near. We all have to contribute to the victory of our party. Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa is working hard. But I also have the responsibility to work for strengthening the party,” he said.
Quoting party’s report that the defeat in Punjab Assembly polls was due to the wrong selection of candidates, Capt Amarinder said that winnability should be the criterion for allotting Congress tickets in the coming lok Sabha elections.
On huge taxes levied by the Badal Government on owners of plots in the garb of regularisation of unauthorised colonies, he said that the State Government should do so without burdening people with taxes.
“A majority of these colonies was regularised during my tenure and now there were very few left,” he said.
He, however, refused to answer any query on his son Raninder Singh sharing stage with Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia in New Moti Bagh shooting range in Patiala a day earlier. “Sports must not be mixed with politics,” he quipped.