Will return to state politics, says Capt
Monday, 11/08/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140811/punjab.htm#6
Patiala : Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, today claimed that the growing differences between the SAD and the BJP would eventually result in their "alliance of convenience" coming to an end.
The former Chief Minister said he had told the AICC president that he hoped to spend his "last tenure” in Punjab. He warned Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that it would be the beginning of the SAD fall if the Congress won any one of the Patiala Urban or Talwandi Sabo seats. As both the seats were in the Malwa belt, “a defeat from any of the these seats would mean the Akalis have lost the confidence of the people,” Amarinder Singh said.
On HSGMC
On the separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, he said Sikhs residing in various states had the right to form a separate body to manage their gurdwaras. “Badal is a modern-day mahant. As Haryana gurdwaras earn Rs 400 crore from offerings and other properties, he does not want to lose hold over these shrines. But Badal and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar cannot dictate terms to Sikhs across the country,” he said.
On SAD-BJP rift
On the differences between the SAD and the BJP, Amarinder Singh said both these parties were "extremists" and were in an alliance only for personal gains. “In Haryana, Badal is supporting the INLD against the BJP. This clearly exposes Badal's double standards,” he said.
Speaking with The Tribune at his new Moti Bagh Palace, he said he was in the process of devising a strategy for the Patiala Urban byelection with the help of Dhuri MLA Arvind Khanna and other confidants.
He said during the parliamentary elections, the media played up the issue of corruption with such force that the voters turned away from the Congress. In the state, the Akalis faced anti-incumbency for failure to tackle the drug menace, corruption and spiralling sand prices. In such a scenario, the voters in Punjab opted for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
On ‘secret’ pact
Scorching rumours of a secret understanding with the SAD to let them win the Talwandi Sabo seat in return for the Congress win in Patiala, he said the entire SAD leadership would have converged on Patiala but the Talwandi Sabo seat was part of the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency represented by Harsimrat Badal and the Akalis were trying hard to win the seat. "Therefore, only a handful of Akali leaders are in Patiala," he explained.
On Cong fissures
On fissures within the Pradesh Congress and various leaders voicing different opinion on those selected for canvassing, he said: "You cannot have all Congress men in Patiala or everyone camping in Talwandi Sabo. As far as I know, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal will be visiting Patiala. Partap Singh Bajwa is in Talwandi Sabo."
On investigations into the drug racket in Punjab, Amarinder Singh said: "I'm of the opinion that once the investigating team finds evidence against a leader, only then should he be named and punished. We cannot demand action against anyone, be it Bikram Majithia or Raja Warring, merely on the basis of allegations," Amarinder Singh maintained.
