Alluding to what he sees as a growing police-politician nexus in Punjab, former chief minister Amarinder Singh chided the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition for its reliance on police officers to win elections.
“Policemen cannot get you votes unless the people want you in, and unfortunately for you the people of Punjab no longer have any faith in you,” Capt. Singh dramatically asserted at the start of a huge political rally in Rampura Phul, the home of his own ancestors but also part of the traditional Akali turf, in Bathinda.
Reminding deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal that it was “impossible to brush public accountability under the rug by hand-picking and posting loyal police officers to intimidate people,” Capt. Singh drew huge applause when he promised to make every rogue cop and politician pay for each and every act of intimidation.
Capt. Singh asked all Punjabis to be prepared for a possible snap poll. “The Akalis think they will catch us (Congress) off guard by calling early elections. But they must have no illusions, tomorrow or a year from now, we will wipe them off the map of Punjab!” he declared to a huge volley of slogans from his audience.
Standing, for the first time since he assumed charge as Punjab Congress chief, besides his son and PCC general secretary Raninder Singh who is in charge of Bathinda, Capt. Singh unveiled his agenda “to propel Punjab through the 21st century.”
He said, “We need a quantum shift in both thinking and policy for agriculture and industry to meet emerging challenges and draw maximum benefit from new technologies. We must also give the diaspora a bigger stake in the development of Punjab in a manner that would benefit everybody.”
Capt. Singh insisted that “the Akali Dal and its leaders lack vision and also deaf to initiatives that would profit common Punjabis.” He said, “The Akalis have failed to fulfil their biggest election promises of making Punjab power surplus and building metros in Ludhiana and other cities.”