Rahul Gandhi: Congress will form the next government in Punjab

Manwala (Bathinda), November 6: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi winded up his 2-day visit to the Malwa region in Punjab with the assertion that “the Congress will form the next government” in Punjab. He called upon the people to wipe out oppressive Akali Dal-BJP regime.

Every leader from the state was singing the unity tune but it was former chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh who has been locked in leadership tussle with incumbent state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa who declared, “I am back”.

Manwala was the last halt of Rahul today where he announced that he would lead a delegation of the families whose members have been killed in police firing and others to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking independent high level probe.

Rahul said the purpose of his visit was 2-fold as he wanted to meet the families of the victims of police firing and of the farmers committing suicides and at the same time, gear up and unite the party so that it was in a position to make effective intervention in the state’s political discourse.

It may be mentioned that ever since he entered the villages yesterday, the only complaint that he heard from the people was the factionalism in the state Congress.

He said he had come to assess the situation in the state and arrived at the conclusion that the Congress was in a position to replace the Akali Dal-BJP combine for which united and concerted efforts would have to be made. Immediate steps would be taken to remove all irritants in the path of party unity.

He referred to the police firing at Behbal Kalan again and said it must be brought out as to who were the police officials who opened fire and on whose orders. He also talked of agrarian crisis and indifferent response of the Parkash Singh Badal government.

Every state leader went out of his way to assure him of the unity with Bajwa saying that he was prepared to make every sacrifice towards that end. However, at the same time, he said the priority should be to unite the workers, strengthen and mobilise people and then take up the leadership issue.

Amarinder, in his characteristic style, said he had come to throw out the Badals out of Punjab. He lashed out at Chief minister Parkash Singh badal and Deputy Chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for interference in the functionog of Akal Takht.

CLP leader Sunil Jakhar too called for sinking all differences to work unitedly.