Won’t let sitting MLAs change seats: Captain

Monday, 19/12/2016

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New Delhi: Facing a tough electoral battle in Punjab next year, Congress has decided not to let sitting MLAs in general seats change their assembly segments and strictly apply the “one family, one ticket” formula by not allowing two people from a family to contest.

“These two rules are non-negotiable. We have decided that all sitting MLAs in general seats must defend their own segments. They will not get to replace their seats. Replacements will be allowed only in case of 34 reserved seats. Also, the decision to allot one ticket per family is final. It will not be bent,” Punjab Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh said in an interview.

He said the remaining party tickets for Punjab are likely to be finalised by early next week when the party’s Central Election Committee headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi would meet.

The former Punjab Chief Minister said allowing sitting MLAs to shift to other constituencies would send “wrong signals” to the party workers. “Everyone must go into this battle thinking they are winning,” Amarinder said at a time when many sitting MLAs of Congress, including some senior leaders, want to shift to other constituencies.

Among those are six-time MLA from Sanaur Lal Singh, who wants to shift to Samana, but is unlikely to be obliged.

Another MLA demanding a change is Indian Youth Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who is hoping to shift to Muktsar though he represents Gidderbaha in the Punjab assembly.

“No changes will be allowed for any general candidates,” Amarinder categorically said.

Singh also said the first list of 61 candidates announced a few days back reflected the sentiment that the MLAs will have to defend their turfs when it comes to general seats.

Former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who was seeking to contest from Sunam has been fielded from Lehra, which she currently represents in the assembly.

Similarly, the “one family, one ticket” rule will apply, said Amarinder.

“The CEC is likely to meet on Tuesday,” he said, as 56 seats are pending declaration. Punjab assembly has 117 seats.

Amarinder vows to settle farm loans

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday dismissed Deputy Chief Minister’s diatribe over the formers promise of farm debt waiver as “sheer frustration” and again vowed to settle loans of farmers in the state on priority basis after forming government.

On the day-long session of the Punjab Assembly on Monday convened by the state government, he alleged that the ruling SAD had done this to hastily pass Bills, even though it will not help them attract voters.

“Crores of rupees have been looted by the corrupt Akalis through a series of scams in the last 10 years. These include a Rs 31,000 crore mega food grain and Rs 17,000 crore pesticide scams,” Amarinder alleged here.

The Punjab Congress chief assured he will do everything to “recover every penny and use it for the welfare of people, including settling farmers’ debt”.

“Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is trying to mislead people on debt waiver by spreading incorrect information,” he alleged, adding the state just needs to take over the loans and arrange the required funds to settle them.

Amarinder claimed that the Badals, including Sukhbir and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, are “frustrated and desperate as they have failed to do anything for the aggrieved and debt-ridden farmers of Punjab.”

The Badals have become “hysterical and frantic” in their bid to underplay the success of Congress’ ‘Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal di Poori Rakam’ campaign under which over 30 lakh farmers have sought debt waiver, he claimed.

“Sukhbir’s diatribe on the waiver issue is fallout of the Badals’ failure to woo voters ahead of the Assembly polls despite a plethora of sops and promises,” Amarinder alleged.

They have realised that Congress’ farm debt waiver promise has evoked overwhelming response from farmers and the party is striving at the national level for its early realisation, he claimed.

“It does not matter if the Centre supports the initiative. I am committed to waiving off every single loan of farmers,” he said, claiming in the past he had waived-off debts.

Sukhbir by “twisting and misrepresenting facts is simply exposing his frustration”, he claimed.