Former Punjab Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday that the mission of his party is not only to defeat Congress in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state but also to form a government.
Addressing a meeting of party workers and office-bearers after inducting a former MP and several former MLAs into the party today, Amarinder Singh said that he was very happy with the enthusiasm he is getting from people across the state. Soon many sitting and former MLAs from all the three political parties, Congress, AAP, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will join the Punjab People's Congress, he asserted.
Revealing the mission of Punjab Lok Congress, the former Chief Minister said that he did not come just to become the Chief Minister once again. Referring to some of the problems being faced by the state during this period, he said that his aim is not just to save Punjab, but to restore its old honour.
The former chief minister revealed that Punjab is under heavy debt of about Rs 5 lakh crore, which constitutes about 70 percent of the state's total GDP. "It will take many generations to repay this amount and for this, the right steps need to be taken immediately," he added.
He also expressed surprise at the manner in which Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was making populist announcements. Presumably, he knows that Congress is not going to return to power and the next government will have to bear the burden.
Amarinder Singh said that Punjab cannot depend on agriculture for long and it needs investment for modern industry. He disclosed that by September 2021, Rs 1 lakh crore had been invested in Punjab.
Referring to the threat from neighbouring countries, he said that, "India does not want to have enmity with any country. I am not personally against any Pakistani person, but I have a problem with the government of Pakistan and the terrorism factories there, who spread terrorism here and kill our soldiers on the borders of the country. 83 Punjab jawans have been martyred during the last five years. In such a situation, you guess the deaths across the country. Under these circumstances, no real Indian can call Imran Khan and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa as his friend."
Hitting out at Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu for publicly calling Imran Khan his friend, he said, "If you are a friend of these people, then you are not a well-wisher of India."
Referring to the bad condition of other political parties in the state, Amarinder Singh said that the Congress was facing an internal war. "Where the Chief Minister and the State Congress President are moving in different directions and the workers and leaders are confused about whom they should reach."
About the Aam Aadmi Party, he said that it is facing a phase of decline. "Half of its MLAs have already left the party and the rest are ready to leave," he added.
About the Shiromani Akali Dal, he said, "During their tenure, the incidents of sacrilege in the year 2015 and the punishment given by the people due to no action on them, they are not able to stand their footsteps. Moreover, farmers will not forgive them for their support to the agricultural laws, they later changed their stand."
Punjab Lok Congress will share seats with the BJP, Amarinder Singh maintained, adding, BJP is also in discussion with Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. Mr Singh hoped that seats will soon be agreed on and the new government will protect the interests of the state at any cost.
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