Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh said on Sunday that SAD leaders Badals and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal are big-time frauds out to sell Punjab’s interests to harmful forces. Addressing a public rally in Barnala, Mr Singh launched a scathing attack on AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying he had the same mindset which had led Punjab into terrorism in the 1980s.
He said that the AAP was caught between the extreme left (Naxalite) and right (Khalistani) philosophies, and the parties had absolutely no policies or programmes for the development of Punjab. Mr Kejriwal, he said, only wanted to capture Punjab by making false promises.
Mr Singh, who is the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate in the state, said that Mr Kejriwal has his eyes on Punjab’s chief ministership, and eventually wanted to become the Prime Minister. He called the AAP a “kichchdi” (mixture) party of two different ideological extremes, which would vitiate the atmosphere of the state.
He said that Kejriwal is a complete outsider with no roots in Punjab, Referring to the Delhi chief minister’s NGO, which was funded by the Ford Foundation, Mr Singh said it had the backing of the CIA, the Khalistanis and a whole lot of other forces harmful to India. Pointing to the exorbitant AAP spending on advertisements and publicity in Punjab, the PPCC chief questioned the sources of Mr Kejriwal’s funds and warned people that supporting him would be detrimental to Punjab’s interests.
Mr Singh also questioned Mr Kejriwal over his two years of governance in Delhi, saying he had done nothing, but make sham promises to the people of the national capital.
The PPCC president dubbed both Mr Kejriwal and Parkash Singh Badal as big liars, saying they could not be trusted at all. While the Badals had been busy minting money at the cost of the interests of the people of Punjab, Mr Kejriwal was now trying to grab whatever was left of the state to further his own interests, he added.
Reiterating that he had decided to contest from Lambi in order to rout Mr Badal completely, Mr Singh said the Akali government had destroyed every vestige of development in Punjab and their leaders would have to pay for it.
