Assembly, not SGPC, elections will be real referendum on Akali performance
Sunday, 14/08/2011
http://my.amarindersingh.in/assembly-not-sgpc-elections-will-be-real-referendum-on-akali-performance
Asserting that the assembly and not the SGPC elections will be the real referendum on the performance of the Akalis in the state, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said, the Akalis seem to have admitted the defeat much ahead of the real contest.
Referring to the speeches of various Akali leaders on Saturday at Baba Bakala saying that the SGPC elections will be a referendum about the performance of the government, Capt Amarinder said, the SGPC elections are not the representative of even the Sikh population what to speak of whole of Punjab. “By describing SGPC elections as a referendum about their performance the Akalis have admitted the defeat much before the real contest”, he pointed out, while adding, “knowing well that they will be defeated in assembly elections they have started consoling themselves with SGPC elections only where also their victory is not certain”.
Giving details, he pointed out, out of the total population of about 2.75 crores in Punjab, about 1.7 crores are Sikhs. And out of 1.7 crore Sikhs, only 52 lakh have SGPC voting rights. Even if 50 per cent of them cast their vote in SGPC elections, the figure comes to about 26 lakhs only and not all of them are going to vote for Akalis. “This does not even make it to ten per cent of the total population of Punjab”, the former Chief Minister pointed out, while asking how anybody can claim it to be a referendum.
At the same time, Capt Amarinder added, the real referendum will be held later during the assembly elections when all the people of Punjab will exercise their franchise and throw the Akalis out of power. He dared the Akalis to accept the assembly polls as referendum on their performance and not the SGPC elections which are not at all representative in nature.
