Congress leader Amarinder Singh alleged that AAP has always survived on "lies and slander" and it was trying to do the same thing in Punjab. (File photo)
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh today ridiculed and dismissed the allegations levelled by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against his son Raninder Singh about having seven companies in foreign countries.
"It is amusing that the Akali-BJP and the AAP have found a common cause and a common enemy in me", he observed, while adding, "it seems Jaitely (Union Minister Arun Jaitley) proposes and AAP disposes".
"It is a classic case of enemy's enemy becoming a friend", he remarked, while pointing out, both the Akali-BJP, particularly Mr Jaitely, and the AAP had started seeing a common enemy in him.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Captain Amarinder referred to the so called "revelations" made by the AAP leaders, which, he said, were actually from the IT department's challan, apparently provided to them by the department allegedly at Mr Jaitely's behest, which in turn was "based on false, fabricated and fictitious information derived from a stolen document".
The former chief minister alleged that after having failed to generate the desired impact by getting a false complaint lodged in a Ludhiana court against his son, the Union Finance Minister was now trying to use the good offices of the AAP, which has mastered the art of "spreading lies", against him.
"Their aim is not to prove any point, but to create a false perception as, otherwise, they have nothing which they can use against me in the campaign", he claimed, while adding, "they apparently assume that by the time these allegations are proved wrong they may have already achieved their purpose of defaming me during run up to the elections".
"But we are not going to take it lying down and we will drag them to court for criminal defamation", Mr Singh said, while asserting, "we will not let them to carry on with their slander campaign, not at least against us".
He alleged that AAP has always survived on "lies and slander" and it was trying to do the same thing in Punjab as it's "bubble has already burst in the state and its graph had started going down."
Alleging that AAP and the Akali-BJP were together in the "slander" campaign against him and his party, he claimed that their (the AAP and the BJP) relationship dates back to 2011 when Kejriwal's show in the Ram Lila Maidan in New Delhi was managed by the RSS and the BJP.
He alleged at that time also they (AAP) launched a slanderous campaign against the Congress to help BJP and now they are doing it again in Punjab at Jaitley's behest who wants to avenge his Amritsar defeat, even if it means to find a common cause with the AAP.
"Even recently Kejriwal shared dais with the BJP leaders at the event of a sect head known for his proximity to the RSS", he pointed out.
Mr Singh said, the IT department at the "behest" of its boss Arun Jaitely, had claimed to the media that they had attached so many "annexures" with the complaint.
"Show me an annexure or the document which the IT or the AAP can claim to be proved true", he said, while stating that they were deliberately holding back the annexures since these "cannot stand legal scrutiny".
Yesterday, AAP leaders had targeted Mr Amarinder Singh alleging that his son Raninder Singh's trust floated at least seven companies having accounts in a Switzerland based bank.
Meanwhile, accusing its state and central leadership of hobnobbing with the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party, 12 senior Bahujan Samaj Party leaders today joined the Congress.
They were inducted into the Congress by PCC president Amarinder Singh in presence of senior party leaders and legislators.
Those who joined the party today included Jarnail Singh Nangal who had contested from Phagwara and Samittar Singh Sikri who had contested from Sham Chaurasi as the BSP candidates.
They alleged that the Dalits and downtrodden who had always supported the BSP were disillusioned with the party and they were now returning and looking to the Congress which has always watched their interest.
Others who joined today included Vijay Pandori, Amarjit Khuttan, Jatinder Mohan, Sukhdev Singh Chaukria, Parminder Both, Beant Singh Bawa, Ginai Husan Lal, Jaswinder Kaur, Balwinder Singh Bodh and Balvir Thakur.