M A I N   N E W S

Many leaders stay away as Amarinder files papers
Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 20
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, the Congress candidate for this Assembly seat, after paying obeisance at a temple and a gurdwara, filed his nomination papers in the office of the Patiala SDM at the Mini-Secretariat here today.

His son, Mr Raninder Singh, filed his nomination as a covering candidate. Before proceeding to the Mini-Secretariat, the Chief Minister, accompanied by the Patiala MP and his wife Preneet Kaur and other district-level Congress leaders, paid a visit to the “samadh” of Baba Ala Singh, the founder of this erstwhile royal city.

Notably, barring office-bearers of the District Congress Committee, middle and lower-rung Congress workers did not turn up for the filing of papers by the Chief Minister. Around 2,000 supporters and leaders escorted him to the office of the Returning Officer.

An unsigned press note issued by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, later in the day, said: “Thousands of supporters of the Chief Minister took out a procession through the busy bazars of the city for the success of the Congress.” Around 10 shopkeepers, who were staunch Akali supporters, put their shutters when the cavalcade of the Chief Minister passed through the bazar.

Later, addressing a gathering, Capt Amarinder Singh said change of Mr S. S. Virk, as DGP of Punjab Police, would not make any impact on the elections. He added that the state government had no complaint against Mr Virk as he sought the permission to built a convention centre on his own piece of land.

Launching an attack on the Badals, he said those people always played havoc with the interest of Punjab for their own vested interests. He claimed that it was the Congress government which brought prosperity in the state.

Playing the development card, the Chief Minister stated: “His party was committed for the development of the state and would make Punjab the most progressive state in the country.” The Congress, under his stewardship, had fulfilled all 66 poll promises. Again mentioning his government’s role in developing the state, he said, “Punjab had made rapid strides in the field of infrastructure, IT, power, agriculture, industry, health and social welfare.”

“it was for the first time in the history of Punjab that his government had given jobs to candidates purely on merit. During the Akali-BJP regime, jobs were openly sold.”

Once again taking pot shots on Badal senior, Capt Amarinder Singh said: “The crusade launched by his party against corruption would be taken to its logical end so that big sharks like Mr Badal were finally punished for their misdeeds.” Trying to add punch in his attack on Mr Badal, the Chief Minister said, “Mr Badal was misinterpreting facts through fake advertisements in the newspapers by claiming credit for the SAD while in reality the Congress had implemented development projects.”

Winding up his speech and making a appeal to cast votes in favour of the Congress, he asked the people “to let the Congress form the next government to serve the people and implement the unaccomplished agenda of development being followed by his party.”