Amarinder calls upon people to throw out communally divisive forces

Anyone who wants to divide people on communal lines has no place in our civilised nation, said the Chief Minister, addressing a Congress gathering, where he also took frank and direct questions from many of the common people who had come to hear him.

Congress Jalandhar candidate Santokh Chaudhary and Hoshiarpur candidate Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal welcomed him to the event ground near Gurdwara Sri Gangsar Sahib.

Asserting that his blood boils when he hears Modi 'shamelessly' ask for votes in the name of the Pulwama martyrs or the Balakot air strikes, Capt Amarinder Singh said the Prime Minister’s behaviour was repulsive.

“It is the fauj (soldiers) of India and its people who are getting killed everyday in the line of duty; it is not Modi’s fauj. He is using their sacrifice for political gains,” he said.

“The media, which he controls, is also speaking the voice of the Prime Minister, but the people can see which way the winds are blowing, these winds will sweep Modi and his BJP away,” declared the Chief Minister, expressing the confidence that the people will teach them a lesson and the Congress will sweep to power in these elections.

Lashing out at the Akalis over the spate of sacrilege cases, and the Behbal Kalan and Bargari incidents of police firing, in the last 18 months of their rule, Capt Amarinder warned that their attempts to scuttle the SIT probe would not succeed.

The very officer the Badals had got transferred out would be back with the SIT the day polling ends and ensure that those responsible for the desecrations and the killings are punished.

Pointing out that not a single major case of sacrilege had been reported since his government came to power, the Chief Minister said clearly indicated who was behind those cases.

They have defied justice so far by not accepting their own Zora Commission report and the Ranjit Singh Commission findings but they will not succeed in their mission to create tension to divide the people and garner the support of the Sikh community through such actions, he warned, adding that the cases being investigated by SIT were of murder and anyone found guilty would face the consequences, as per law.

People want peace for themselves and their kids to ensure a better future, said Capt Amarinder, pointing out that peace can only sustain in an environment of communal harmony. Peace was essential to attract industry and ensure development, which alone can bring jobs for the children and progress for the state, he added.

Promising all-out efforts by his government to secure the future of Punjab’s children, the Chief Minister said, as per the daily progress reports he receives, the Ghar Ghar Rozgar scheme had already touched the milestone of 1000 jobs a day. His government would ensure jobs for youth to prevent them from going abroad in search of lucrative opportunities, he added.

Pointing to the significance of Kartarpur in the context of the 550th Parkash Purb celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, Capt Amarinder hoped the Kartarpur Corridor would become functional in time for the momentous occasion to enable all devotees to pay their respects at the historic gurdwara across the border.

Taking a dig at Modi for failing to take the Sultanpur Lodhi development scheme forward personally, he said the union home minister had held some meetings but had only invited the Badals to discuss the plans.

He also squarely blamed the Modi government for aggravating the problems of industry and farmers with its wrong policies, including demonetisation, GST, non-implementation of MS Swaminathan Commission recommendations etc. They will pay for their sins, he warned, adding that their days were numbered and the Congress would soon take over the reins of the country’s future.

In response to questions from the public later, the Chief Minister reiterated that those guilty of involvement in the sacrilege or policing firing cases would not be spared.

Ruling out any nexus with the Badals to save them from punishment, he asserted that nobody would be allowed to go scot-free but maintained that he would not reduce himself to the level of the Akalis by indulging in political vendetta. Whether it’s the economic mess in the state or attempts to divide people, anybody would responsible would pay for their misdeeds, he declared.

To another question, Capt Amarinder said financial constraints, including the Rs 31000 crore credit loan, had prevented his government from implementing all promises at the outset but there were still three years to fulfill all.

The smartphones promised to youngsters would also begin to be distributed soon after the polls as his government had already ordered the first installment of 3.5 lakh of the 10.5 lakh phones required under the scheme.

Rejecting the charges of waiving off farm loans of only Akalis, the Chief Minister said criteria such as loan amount, size of land holding etc was being applied to waive off the debts in installments to cover 10.25 lakh small and marginal farmers as well as the debt-ridden landless labourers. Only the poor farmers were being reached out, irrespective of their political affiliation, he added.

On a question of maize MSP, he said the only solution was in toto implementation of M S Swaminathan recommendations, which the Congress president Rahul Gandhi had already promised along with other farmer-friendly measures once the party comes to power.

The recurrence of illegal mining in some places was the result of restrictions by the high court, which had also resulted in sand prices spiralling out of control, said the Chief Minister, adding that fresh auctions would soon be announced to stabilise the situation once again.