Amarinder accepts AAP effect in state
Saturday, 22/08/2015
www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
Says will not form any party and remain in Cong | Accuses Akalis of ‘betraying’ Longowal
Chandigarh : Ruling out any possibility of formation of a separate party by him, the Congress’ Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh, today accepted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was very active at the ground level, but the Congress would be able to strike a chord with the youth of the state.
Amarinder also rejected a suggestion extended by former Punjab Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for formation of a coordination committee to iron out “minor differences” between the Punjab Congress leaders. He also asserted that the single leadership of the party in Punjab was the need of the hour. “See, the Congress is not the SAD. It has the tradition of a single leadership. There is no need for any coordination committee for the state unit. I am hopeful that the party high command will resolve all these issues within a short time,” said Amarinder.
Asked about the outcome of his meeting with top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Amarinder said, “The meeting was held in a cordial manner. I cannot say anything beyond this as it is a confidential matter. All I can say is that a number of issues were discussed at the meeting.”
Asked if the Congress high command was planning to replace the old leadership with young faces, Amarinder said 70 per cent Indian voters were young, but this did not mean that the party was going to shun the ‘Oldies’. “After all, experience is something that needs to be valued,” he said.
He also predicted a direct contest between the Congress, AAP and the SAD in 2017 and that the BJP would remain on the fringes only.
“We know AAP is active at the ground level. But, except for my friend and AAP convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur hardly anybody in AAP has the much-required administrative or leadership experience. Young voters mean a lot to us. So, we are going to interact with them and involve them in a big way. We will visit colleges and universities for the purpose,” said Amarinder at the residence of CLP leader Sunil Jakhar after his protest.
He also trained his guns at the BJP saying it held “no ground” of its own in the state and that it was just riding “piggyback” on the SAD.
“The BJP has remained inconsequential in Punjab and the Akali reputation has gone low. People, particularly the youth, do not even like to talk about Akalis and Badals. The Congress is the only viable option before the people,” he added.
Talking about the buzz of his plans to form a separate party, Amarinder quipped, “Do you think with all this love, respect and support of MLAs, the Congress workers and leaders and also the general public I will leave my party, leaving everything behind?”
Capt Amarinder asserted that the Congress continued to be the strongest party in Punjab in terms of mass base and public support. “During the 2007 and 2012 elections, the Congress had lost the election by merely 1 per cent of the votes against the Akali-BJP combine,” he explained.
Replying to a question about Badal’s charges that the Congress had betrayed and let down late Harchand Singh Longowal, Capt Amarinder retorted, “Let me ask Badal as who had betrayed him and who had backed out of the accord which Sant Longowal had signed with Rajiv Gandhi. Both Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra actually betrayed and back-stabbed Sant Longowal,” said Amarinder.
