BJP leader, 2 others booked for farmer’s death
CHANDIGARH, January 28: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today challenged the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to dissolve the assembly and go for a snap poll if he was really so confident about his party’s popularity in the state.
Capt Amarinder also condemned the arbitrary rejection of the independent candidate, Bhai Baldeep Singh’s nomination papers saying this was totally dictatorial and undemocratic on part of the Akalis who had only shown their fear and panic.
Reacting to Sukhbir’s statement that the Congress had run away from the election, Capt Amarinder reiterated, “we have boycotted the election on the matter of principle as the issues on which our MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned still remain unresolved”. He said, Congress would have won the bye-election in any case since people of Khadoor Sahab endorsed Sikki’s decision to resign.
“But for us retaining a single seat in the Vidhan Sabha, with a leftover life of less than a year, is immaterial and our main concern and priority is to get those responsible for desecration and killing of peaceful protestors, punished, which we certainly will after forming the government in 2017”, he clarified.
The PCC president said, the Akalis’ panic and lack of confidence can be best made out the way they are trying to eliminate the contestants much ahead of the elections by getting their nomination papers rejected.
Capt Amarinder said, while the Congress had boycotted the Khadoor Sahab bye-election on the matter of principle, it was prepared for a snap-poll even if these were held tomorrow. “I would be glad if Sukhbir Badal, who is claiming so much popularity, announces a snap poll and I assure him we will not disappoint him, as we will be there to contest and defeat him”, he promised Sukhbir.
The PCC president also had a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party for accusing Congress of having understanding with the Akalis over boycotting the election. “I have only one question for the AAP that if we have an understanding with the Akalis as we boycotted the bye-election on the matter of principle, why did it (the AAP) not contest itself?” he asked, while hoping that AAP will come out with the reason for not contesting.
