Punjab big guns face off
Ahead of Punjab polls, rivals Amarinder and Sukhbir share stage in a rare direct encounter.
NEW DELHI: “We are going to whip them by God’s grace,” Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh said on Friday as state deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal looked on, setting the tone for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.
The two leaders shared the dais at the 14th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in what could be their only face-to-face debate before the crucial state elections.
And both leaders predicted a win for their parties. While Badal said the SAD was set to win more than 70 of the 117 seats that go to the polls, Captain Singh predicted a rout of the ruling party that has been in power in the state for almost 10 years in alliance with the BJP.
ON AAM AADMI PARTY
The third contender — the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — will finish behind the Congress, Captain Singh said. “They (SAD) won’t cross 20, AAP will do slightly better and we’ll form the government.”
Badal was more generous towards his old rival. “Mark my words, AAP will not get more than eight to nine seats. The fight is between the Congress and the SAD,” he said. The deputy chief minister gave the Congress 35 to 40 seats. “We’ll be above 70,” he declared.
Sparring with each other and fielding questions from the audience, both leaders had the audience in splits with their sharp one-liners. “Each time someone talks of putting me in jail, I win the elections after that,” Badal said, responding to a question on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s declaration that his party would send the Badals to jail if it came to power.
“Captain put me in jail and made me a leader,” he said. “Even after he sent me to jail, I always touch his feet. It’s in our culture,” Badal added, responding to AAP’s charge that the two have truck with each other.
Both took on the AAP, which emerged as the third political force in Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections winning four of the 13 seats. Badal dismissed AAP as not a force to reckon with anymore.
“The media created Arvind Kejriwal and now you are destroying him,” Badal said.
The Captain was more critical of the opponent. “They have to come up with something serious for Punjab’s future... AAP is not a party, it is the mood of the youngsters. It’s just their frustration. We have to speak to them (the youngsters) and convince them.. AAP is selling tickets in Punjab,” Captain Singh said. Badal charged AAP with fielding candidates with “criminal records”.
ON DRUG MENACE
Punjab’s drug problem is a creation of the media, the SAD leader claimed. “Rahul Gandhi came to Punjab and read from a paper saying 70% of our youth are drug addicts. His problem is he can only read from what is given to him written on a paper,” he said.
Captain Singh said, after wresting power in Punjab from Parkash Singh Badal in 2002, he had a survey conducted that showed half of the girls and 70% of the boys had tried drugs. During the Badal regime police stations were used to stock poppy husk, he alleged.
Badal, however, blamed the BSF for drugs being smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan.
ON SAD-BJP GOVT
Badal said the government had been voted back to power five years ago “because of our performance.” Punjab has gone from a power deficit to a power surplus state, he said.
“Every village has internet and in one year’s time all of Punjab’s cities will be connected by expressways,” Badal said.
Captain Singh expressed doubts, saying “Punjab is bankrupt. We are down on our knees... this is my last election, I want to set right what these chaps have done wrong.”
ON NAVJOT SIDHU
Badal hit out at the Congress’s high-command culture for imposing former BJP MP Navjot Sidhu on Captain Singh. “Sidhu said he wants to come to a Congress minus Captain. Maybe the high command has told Sidhu the Captain won’t be there,” he said.
ON DEMONETISATION
Singh said people of Punjab were getting disillusioned with demonetisation by the day. “Tempers are rising. Punjab has a short fuse,” he warned, challenging Union finance minister Arun Jaitley to fight the Lok Sabha by-election from Amritsar. Badal said things were under control but “demonetisation is going to create a problem if the cash crunch persists after a few months”.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not a party, it is the mood of the youngsters. It’s just their (youths’) frustration. We have to speak to them (the youngsters) and convince them.. AAP is selling tickets in Punjab. AMARINDER SINGH, Punjab Congress chief, on AAP’s position in Punjab Each time someone talks of putting me in jail, I win the election after that... Captain put me in jail and made me a leader. Even after he (Amarinder Singh) sent me to jail, I always touch his feet. It’s in our culture. SUKHBIR BADAL, Punjab deputy CM, on AAP’s charge that he and Amarinder are in collusion