VOICE OF EX-SERVICEMEN PUNJAB

AAP CONVENER'S 63 CD CLAIM

An evil can’t hide another, says Capt

Takes jibe at Awaaz-e-Punjab I Says front will benefit Cong

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patran (Patiala), September 9

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh today blamed AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of promoting sting operations and called him “habitual of blaming all others, except himself” for sins committed by AAP leaders.

Amarinder said if Kejriwal knew about the fake CDs prepared by the Badal family to malign him, there was no reason for him to remain silent till the CDs came out.

He asked the Delhi Chief Minister to substantiate his claims that Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had got prepared 63 CDs involving AAP leaders to defame the party.

“Or is it a preemptive admission on your part that you know more scandals are about to tumble out of your cupboard and you have decided to put the blame on someone else,” Amarinder asked Kejriwal, while talking to reporters along the sidelines of the ‘Halke Vich Captain’ programme here.

“No doubt the Akalis and Sukhbir (Badal) are capable of doing any dirty thing but even he cannot make fake CDs unless you and your own people are not involved,” the PPCC chief told the Delhi Chief Minister.

“You just can’t hide behind the bad reputation of Sukhbir... One evil can’t hide behind the other,” he stated.

Asked whether he will again put the Badals behind bars as he did in 2002, Amarinder said he would not spare anyone, from Badal to Majithia, and ensure that they pay for the sins committed against Punjab.

“I will avenge all the excesses and injustice you suffered,” he said, amidst a thundering applause from people. He said the Congress, if voted to power, would continue the aata-daal scheme. Besides, it would also provide sugar and tea under this scheme. He would also ensure that good-quality wheat reaches people, not substandard as supplied by the Akalis.

He said not only would his government continue with the free power to farmers, it would also ensure regular power supply. Besides, the Congress government would not charge anything from the farmers for their tube well connections.

‘Not sent anyone to persuade Sidhu to join Cong’

• Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh said he had not sent anyone to former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Navjot Singh Sidhu to persuade him to join the Congress
• He said this while talking to mediapersons after "Coffee with Captain" programme organised at the New Grain Market in Sangrur on Friday
• Amarinder said if Sidhu claimed so, he should reveal the names of those who approached him on his behalf
• He, however, admitted that earlier he had said if Sidhu, Inderbir Singh Bolaria and Pargat Singh wanted to join the party, he would welcome them as they came from Congress families
• About ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ formed by Sidhu, he said only three MLAs could not form a political party as a party needed district, block and booth-level organisations which they did not have now. TNS

Some ministers may not get party ticket: Sukhbir

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 9

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will be fielding 20-25 new candidates in the Assembly elections. Several party candidates, including some ministers, may either not get a ticket or will have to contest from a different seat, said Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal here today.

The party has already announced new candidates for Amloh, Patiala Rural, Sanaur, Banga, Phillaur (represented by Avinash Chander, who is being investigated for drug trade links), Jalandhar Cantt (represented by suspended MLA Pargat Singh) and Amritsar South (represented by suspended MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria).

With winnability of the candidate and his personal rapport with workers and voters being the criteria, the party is looking at making changes in 20-25 seats of the 94 seats it would be contesting, confirmed the party president.

Though the seat-sharing arrangement of the two alliance partners SAD and BJP will remain the same, Akali Dal is mulling over some seat swaps with its alliance partner BJP.

Though the saffron party has demanded that Akalis exchange at least four seats with them, the Akalis say that parleys are on and a formal meeting would be held soon to decide on the issue.

The BJP wants Batala, Barnala, Garhshankar and Mansa for its candidates and is willing to let go of Amritsar East (represented by Navjot Kaur Sidhu), Abohar, Rajpura and Ludhiana West.

The Akali Dal president said that a formal meeting with the BJP leadership would take place soon to decide on the seat exchange.

“The decision will be taken amicably,” he said while hinting that the Akalis might not swap the Barnala seat with its alliance partner, and instead field a new candidate.

While the BJP wants its senior leader Harjit Singh Grewal to contest from Barnala, SAD is reportedly trying to field industrialist Rajinder Gupta from this seat.

Sukhbir also launched a scathing attack on AAP saying its morality has rotten to such an extent that it is accepting and forging alliances with people like Jagmeet Singh Brar who has been discarded by every political dispensation.