Amarinder advises Punjab CM to change his anti-Congress mantra

CHANDIGARH: Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh today rejected all the allegations leveled by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son Sukhbir Badal against his party (the Congress) saying both of them were suffering from congenital obsession of Congress phobia. “Better change your mool-mantra of anti-Congressism now as people are no longer prepared to buy it”, he told Badals. Referring to Sukhbir’s challenge to hold a rally at the same venue, Capt Amarinder told him, “you know it better that holding a rally is no big deal for me and for that I really don’t need to import people from Haryana and force the state officials including the police personnel to attend it, but let us take a spontaneous and direct popularity test among the masses and see who gets flowers and who gets thrashing of his life, if not stoned and lynched”. He said that most of the people at the rally had either been imported from the neighbouring Haryana or they were the state officials. “Moreover, your popularity is at full display in the police stations and detention centres across the state where you have detained thousands of innocent people in apprehension and fear that they might spoil your show by protesting against your excesses and atrocities”, he taunted the Badals. Taking a dig at Sukhbir’s claims of 25 years rule, he said, not only will the people of Punjab throw out the Akali-BJP government in 2017, but they will also ensure that the modern day ‘mahants’ and ‘massands’ headed by the Chief Mahant, Parkash Singh Badal are thrown out of the SGPC and all other sacred institutions are rid of him. Referring to Badal’s speech, Capt Amarinder said, it was a classic combo of ageing and dementia together where the person forgets his present and only recalls his past. He pointed out, instead of talking about the incidents of sacrilege, killing of peaceful people, framing of innocents and punishment to the culprits, Badal was not able to come out of 1984. “Not surprisingly he even forgot the apology he had offered to tender a week ago”, he remarked about Badal.