Zero plus zero is always a zero:’ Cong slams Capt’s SAD, BJP pact proposal

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said that he agreed with Captain Saab that the BJP on its own did not have any future in Punjab. “Both the BJP and the SAD have already been wiped out of Punjab, and they had no scope of revival. Even if the Akalis and the BJP ally, they will not make a difference. Zero plus zero is always a zero. But one thing I must appreciate about Captain Sahab is that he has become wiser and shown the mirror to his own party,” Warring said.

Addressing reporters, Punjab Finance Minister and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Leaders rejected by the people of Punjab, including Amarinder, his relative Simranjeet Singh Mann and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal, are once again dreaming of returning to power, but the people will no longer tolerate the politics of loot dominated by these two families.”

Cheema alleged that between 2002 and 2022, Amarinder and the Badal family “systematically enriched themselves and protected each other from legal action”. “During the 2002-2007 Captain’s government, cases about disproportionate assets to the tune of approximately Rs 4,000 crore were filed against the Badal family. However, Amarinder deliberately delayed the prosecution in these cases. When the SAD-BJP government took over in 2007, all cases were immediately quashed and shelved. This was no coincidence; it was a deep-rooted, reciprocal agreement between the Badals and Captain’s families to facilitate mutual protection and looting of the state,” Cheema said.

Reminding the people about the emotive issue of sacrileges, Cheema said, “The Badals allowed the incidents to happen due to their arrogance of power, and Amarinder made a false promise holding the Gutka Sahib in 2017. Amarinder used Justice Ranjit Singh and Justice Zora Singh commissions solely for political mileage in panchayat elections, and failed to take any concrete action against the perpetrators.”

Calling Amarinder “a master of defection”, Cheema highlighted Captain’s journey from the Akali Dal to the Congress, forming his own party and then ultimately joining the BJP.

Cheema reiterated the AAP’s long-held assertion that “during his 2017-2022 term tenure, Amarinder acted more as the chief minister for the BJP than for the Congress”.

Cheema warned, “These people think Punjabis have forgotten their deceptive tactics, but they do not realise that Punjabis deliver retribution even after 20 years. The people will never forget how these leaders, though united behind the scenes, ran elaborate conspiracies to mislead the public, how they stripped the state’s wealth and how the sacred panthic positions were manipulated first by Parkash Singh Badal and then by his son Sukhbir. The AAP government remains committed to representing the common people and will ensure the conspiracies of these families never succeed.”

Warring said, “The BJP does not have any future at all in Punjab as it has completely alienated and antagonised Punjabis with its anti-Punjab policies. It can never form a government in Punjab, with or without the Akalis.”

Highlighting the AAP government’s achievements, Cheema said it cancelled the expensive power purchase agreement signed by the previous SAD-BJP regime, bought back a private power plant, gave 600 units of free electricity to the public, and provided over 50,000 government jobs.