Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt. Amarinder Singh on Sunday warned Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal against alleged attempts at polarising people along the religious lines ahead of elections in the state.
Referring to Saturday’s murderous attack on a RSS leader in Jalandhar, Capt. Amarinder said, it did not portend well for Punjab and was a cause of grave concern.
He said, there was a pattern in the incidents beginning from the desecration of Guru Granth Sahab Bargari to the recent attack on a RSS leader.
“This is a deliberate attempt at polarising people and Badal believes that polarisation will help him in elections, without realising how dangerous and disastrous it can turn to be”, he said.
Capt. Singh held Mr. Badal “responsible” for the current state of affairs where people are allegedly feeling insecure.
The PCC president also questioned the silence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the attack on the RSS leader.
“They have not even condemned the attack and I don’t know whether they are trying to please someone or are ignorant about the seriousness of the matter”, he said.
About the announcement of the chief ministerial candidates by the Congress, Capt Amarinder clarified, that given the rise of regional parties across the country in almost every State, it was necessary for the Congress to declare CM candidates before the elections.
He said, this had become important as people want to know as, besides the party, who is the person that is going to lead them.
The PCC president reiterated that the Congress party will announce tickets well in time and the process had already started.
He said, the applications will be accepted till August 15.
He said, since it was a comprehensive process it was taking time.
He said, to rule out the non-serious candidates the party has asked the aspirants to give names of two persons from each booth.
The former Chief Minister said the applications will be thoroughly scrutinised and the right candidates will be nominated to contest.
About rumblings in the AAP after announcement of 19 tickets, he said, this was just the beginning.
He said, people have started realising that AAP was being run and managed by a team from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The veteran leader pointed out, so much so, they did not bother to take state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur into confidence before finalising the list.
On whether Congress will welcome Chhotepur into the party as he was feeling disillusioned there, the PCC president said, party’s doors were open for everyone.
However, he added, knowing Chhotepur so well for a long time, he did not think he will leave the AAP.
On cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, Capt. Singh said, party’s doors were open for him.
However, he added, even if he decides to join the AAP as was being rumoured, it will not make much difference.
He said, Sidhu did not have any political “existence outside Amritsar.”
“People know Sidhu only for his comedy and commentary”, he remarked.
The former Chief Minister reiterated that the Enforcement Directorate was going “slow” on the investigations into the revelations made by dismissed DSP Jagdish Bhola as Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allegedly wants to “protect” someone.
He said, while the ED was showing unusual haste in issuing notices to him and his family, it was “delaying” the investigations into the multi-crore drug smuggling case. - PTI
