Shah’s Amritsar rally put off, Capt takes potshots at BJP
Tuesday, 13/01/2015
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/shah-s-amritsar-rally-put-off-capt-takes-potshots-at-bjp/29541.html
Chandigarh : The BJP on Monday postponed its January 22 anti-drug rally by party chief Amit Shah after announcement of Delhi Assembly poll dates, drawing a sharp reaction from Amritsar MP and senior Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh who said the party (BJP) has "run away from the arena".
Amarinder had on Sunday announced a parallel rally to counter Shah’s event in Amritsar. “It’s a clear case of once bitten twice shy. Having bitten the dust in the parliamentary elections in Amritsar (in 2014), the BJP has clearly opted to be wiser this time by walking out of the contest,” said Amarinder, the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha. Amarinder said even though the BJP has postponed its event, the Congress rally at Amritsar will be held as scheduled on January 22. “There was no question of cancelling or postponing it. We are confronting the Akali-BJP government for its failure to curb the problem of drugs and patronising peddlers,” he said.
Countering Amarinder, Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma said: "Our party chief's Amritsar programme on January 22 has been postponed as he and other leaders will remain preoccupied with Delhi elections which were announced today." There is no other reason for postponement, said Sharma. He said Amarinder should not indulge in self-pat. “If he (Amarinder) so confident of his popularity, he should ensure the Congress victory in New Delhi.
He was made deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha but he stayed away from the House. Should one conclude that he was afraid of PM Narendra Modi,” asked Sharma. Kamal said that the BJP had already proved its popularity in many states by defeating the Congress. “Our party does not prepare its programme to match the programmes of other parties”, he said.
Amarinder, however, said: “When Amit Shah announced a rally in Amritsar last fortnight, he clearly knew that Delhi polls would take place in February. It is just an excuse to run away from the challenge, but I will not give them any chance”, he said. Throwing up a further challenge to the BJP, Amarinder said: “Whenever Amit Shah or PM Narendra Modi will hold a rally in Amritsar, the Congress will organise a parallel rally.”
In another salvo, fired indirectly at Punjab Congress chief Partap Bajwa, Amarinder said the January 22 Amritsar rally was “purely a constituency rally” with senior leader and Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh being its coordinator. “The organisers have made it clear that they don’t need the Punjab Congress committee’s involvement in it. However, if Bajwa wants to attend the rally, he can contact Rana Gurjeet, who is coordinating it,” said Amarinder.
