MAJITHA: Putting all speculations to rest, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday declared Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh as Congress chief ministerial candidate for Punjab polls. As soon as the announcement was made by Rahul at a poll rally in the pocket-borough of Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, party’s star campaigner and Amritsar (East) candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu got up and hugged Amarinder on the stage.
On his first day of his three-day tour of Punjab, Rahul took a dig at the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, saying that those promising change in Punjab overnight are misleading the people. He said the Congress would restore the spirit of 'tera hai’ (it’s yours) and not 'mera hai’ (it’s mine), which the "Badals had established over the past ten years". Guru Nanik Sahib said 'sab tera’ but the Badals’ philosophy is 'sab mera’, Rahul said. Rahul also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming to fight corruption through demonetisation and then sharing the stage with the Badals, who are "neck-deep in corruption".
Rahul said Punjab will not be run by "remote control" as it does not need one, taking a veiled dig at Kejriwal and accusing him of wanting to become Delhi and Punjab chief minister at the same time. Rahul appealed to the people of Punjab to join hands with the Congress to revive the fortunes of the state and to collectively work towards the establishment of "Punjabiyat". Rahul and Amarinder, in their respective address, promised cancellation of all the fake cases filed against innocent people by the Akali leaders in the past ten years and asserted that those guilty of victimising and terrorising people will be thrown into jail once the Congress comes to power.
With all businesses in the hands of the Badal family, the state is in the grip of de-growth and facing a host of serious problems including drugs, to which 70 per cent youth in the state are either addicted or have tried, Rahul said, pointing out that the Akalis had made fun of him when he had first mentioned the issue two years ago.
Now everyone is saying the same thing and there is enough evidence to show that Punjab’s youth are being destroyed by drugs, he said, adding that the Badals were squarely responsible for all the mess in the state, including industrial and agricultural slowdown. The Congress would ensure laws against Chitta (heroin), said Rahul, warning drug dealers and mafia that “we will make such a law that they would shudder to think or talk about drugs.” Asserting that the Congress would fight and win the war against drugs, Rahul claimed that the party always does what it promises. Rahul said the farmers in Punjab are no longer happy at seeing 'badals’ (clouds) in the sky as they are reminded of the Badals who have misruled them for the last 10 years.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi released a song 'Jag Zara…’ by Sadhvi Khosla, whose documentary on drugs - Fading Glory - was released by the Congress vice-president last year. The song underlines the drug menace in Punjab and appeals to the people to wake up to its dangers. Accusing the Badals of bypassing all democratic norms to establish their family fiefdom in the state, Amarinder lambasted the Akali leaders for running mafias and vowed to throw all of them into jail. Neither of the Badal son-duo, nor the 'Lambu’ (reference to Bikram Majithia) would win in these elections, said Amarinder, adding the end had begun for all of them, including the one selling chiita (heroine) and ruining the youth of Punjab.
He said the Congress candidate from Majitha Sukhjinder Singh Lali Majithia had been fighting the tyranny of Bikram for the past one decade and was committed to saving the people of Majitha from the Akali shackles. Rahul, flanked by Amarinder and Sidhu, was seen talking to the cricketer-turned-politician most of the time on the stage. Amarinder also spoke to Rahul, but not much. In his in his inimitable style, Sidhu urged the voters to help the Congress win by a clear majority, saying every single vote for his party would be amount to a shoe thrown in the face of the Badals.
He said the time for change had come and every penny looted by the Badals and Bikram from the people of Punjab would be taken back by the Congress government after the polls. Bikram had made money to the tune of Rs3,0000 crore from liquor trade while the Badals had earned crores from their growing businesses, said Sidhu. Badal’s policy is 10 per cent sewa (service) and 90 per cent mewa (kickbacks), adding that the Akali leaders would have to pay for their sins against the people of Punjab.