Capt pitches for BJP-mukt Bharat, says Punjab will show the way

Friday, 17/05/2019

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PATIALA: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tinkering with India’s secular fabric, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday pitched for a ‘BJP-mukt Bharat’ (BJPfree India) to “protect the country’s unity and future”, and asserted that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will form the next government at the Centre.

Addressing a rally in the Tripuri area of Patiala in support of his wife and Patiala candidate Preneet Kaur, Amarinder said, “It was Punjab which completely rejected the BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections and later become the first state post-2014 where the Congress broke the saffron party’s winning streak in assembly elections in several states. Now, Punjab will set in motion the process of making India free of BJP.”

“People will send Modi packing. His body language shows that,” he added.

Later, talking to mediapersons, he said people do not favour Modi’s ideology of breaking the country by communalising it, adding the BJP hit the peak of its political success and is now headed for a downfall.

“People need development, not divisiveness. The Modi government destroyed the country’s economy with demonetisation and Goods and Service Tax (GST) which is still causing immense problems in Punjab,” he said.

He accused the Akali Dal of doing politics of religion to polarise people. The spate of sacrilege cases clearly showed the extent of politicisation of religion under the SAD government, he said.

Expressing concern over farmer suicides, Amarinder said he said his government is addressing the problem through debt waiver scheme and the Congress’ poll manifesto has promised full implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report.

Earlier, he addressed members of the district bar association in the Patiala judicial complex. The bar association extended its full support to Preneet.

‘SUKHBIR REMARK WILL TURN ON HIS FAMILY’

A day after announcing to build a memorial at Bargari for the Behbal Kalan firing victims, the CM said SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s remark that the families of the perpetrators of the sacrilege will be destroyed will turn on his family.

“They were the ones behind desecration . Sukhbir’s own family will suffer the consequences,” he said. If the Akalis leaders were not involved, why did they go to Sri Darbar Sahib to apologise and do `kar seva’, the chief minister questioned.