Congress leaders take on SAD at Priyanka’s rally

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 14

Addressing a rally in which Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi was present, Congress leaders on Tuesday appealed to the electorate to defeat Harsimrat Badal in the Lok Sabha elections.

On the occasion, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal welcomed Priyanka Gandhi on her first visit to Bathinda after formally joining politics.

The Finance Minister said on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally at the same venue, but turnout of today’s rally is three times the Modi’s yesterday rally. He said it shows that time is changing.

Power Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar said, “We are constructing the Shahpurkandi dam, which is bigger than Bhakra Dam and once its constructions gets over in 2021, we will be able to give Rs3.50 per unit power to residential areas in the city.”

He said what Capt Amarinder Singh and the Congress had promised in 2017, they are fulfilling it one by one.

He said their government would fulfil all promises in five years.

Kangar lashed out at the Badal family over the sacrilege issue. He alleged that in the 10-year tenure, they had looted Punjab.

Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Sodhi said, “We are thankful to the party, which has given an energetic, young and dynamic leader like Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as a candidate from Bathinda. He will surely defeat Harsimrat Badal.”

He also hit at the Badals for sacrilege and accused them of ignoring people and the state for their “personal benefits”.

Youth Congress leader Khushbaz Singh Jattana said, “Amrinder Singh Raja Warring won the Assembly elections from Gidderbaha twice which was the Badals’ turf as no Congress candidate could win for a long time. Even in a bypoll during the Beant Singh government, the SAD won the seat by a little margin. This time, Warring will win from Badals’ home turf Bathinda.”

Commuters faced inconvenience as the huge rush of Congress workers was seen outside the venue. After the rally, movement of vehicles came to a standstill.