Captain government has pushed Punjab back by two decades in two-year rule, says Sukhbir

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said here today that in just two years, the Amarinder Singh led-Congress government in Punjab “has put the state back by two decades and it will take a major effort to undo the damage that Amarinder has done to the state.”

“The Captain wasted his own and the state’s time by pursuing leisure and pleasure, and paying no heed to sufferings and needs of common people. He has undone the fruits of hard work of the people of the state. Aseen tinnka tinnka ikathha kar ke Punjab nu sanvaaria. Ehna ne do saalaan vich teela teela kar k rakh ditta” said the SAD president, adding that with Punjabis feeling cheated by Amarinder, the Congress is up against a tidal wave of Punjabi anger.

“There is total chaos in Congress party in Punjab. Shocked by the intensity of public anger, most Cong leaders are running away from the field or keeping a low profile,” said Badal while addressing gatherings at Jalalabad, his home segment on Saturday.

The SAD chief said that instead of taking responsibility for the Congress disaster like a good general, Amarinder was passing the buck to juniors. “Impending defeat has thrown the Congress in complete disarray,” said the Akali leader.

The Akali supremo also came down heavily on the government for putting farmers through alleged harassment and humiliation at the mandi.

“The acute shortage of gunny bags has resulted in glut and shortage of space, and therefore slow procurement. Farmers are also being exploited over discolouring of grains,” he charged.

Badal said Punjabis are paying the price of trusting Amarinder’s words. “They trusted him because he swore by the sacred charan of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji. No one could believe that someone could tell lies even after an oath by the Dashmesh Pita’s sacred charan,” said Badal, adding that he could understand the people’s decision as some his own party men also found it difficult to suspect the sincerity of such an extraordinary oath.

“But Amarinder had other ideas. He knew he had told big lies, which is why, in the first week after being sworn in as CM, he declared he would never contest an election again. This means that now, people can do nothing more to harm him.”

“No Punjabis are determined to teach Amarinder a lesson in these elections,” said the Akali supremo.

“We will turn the border belt of the state into an industrial zone with focus on textile industry. The industry will bring balance between labour-intensive and tech-intensive approach to give a fillip to employment for Punjabi youth. We started the focus on diversifying state economy and things began to look up. All big business and industrial houses of the country, some of which have strong global presence, such as Lakshmi Mittal, had began the process of setting up bases in Punjab. However, in the past two years, Captain has found no time to convene even a single meeting to review and clear industrial proposals.”