Rahul fit to be India’s PM, says Amarinder

CHANDIGARH Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had the potential to become the Prime Minister of the country and the time was right for a generational change in the Congress to cater to the aspirations of the over 70% youth population of the country.

In an interview to a news channel, the CM also rubbished Niti Aayog’s plans to tax farmers, saying such a move would threaten the survival of the state’s farmers, who were already reeling under the burden of huge debts, forcing many of them to take commit suicide.

Reiterating his support for Rahul, Amarinder said he had always found the AICC vice-president extremely perceptive and decisive. There was a deliberate attempt to undermine his image by calling him names, he said, adding that Rahul had the potential to become the Prime Minister of the country.

The CM exuded confidence over the response by investors and industry to the change in dispensation in Punjab, saying his government had, in just six weeks, been able to build their confidence. He endorsed his claim by adding that the Bathinda refinery was all set for a Rs 20,000-crore expansion.

On the issue of drugs, he said while he could not turn things around overnight, his government had succeeded in creating the enabling environment for the elimination of drugs, which were now becoming increasingly less available.

However, he was quick to point out that it would be difficult to wean youth completely away from drugs without giving them employment, to which his government was committed. Industrial revival would lead to the large-scale creation of employment opportunities in the state, he added.