Won’t react to personal barbs: Capt

Addressing a press conference here today,Amarinder announced that the 40 rallies organised as part of Punjab Bachao Yatra were hugely successful and the next round of rallies will begin from January. “We will organise four massive rallies across the state in the coming days. While two rallies will be organised in the Malwa region,one each will be held in Doaba and Majha. Congress president Sonia Gandhi,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will address the rallies in the final phase of the campaigning in the month of February,” he added.

Reacting to the development poll plank of the ruling alliance,he asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister to list out a single achievement that could be verified. “This is a bankrupt government surviving on central grants. Most of the centrally sponsored schemes were getting lapsed since the government was not able to provide matching grants as all the money was being squandered away by the Chief Minister in his sangat darshan programmes.

“They claim to have brought in investment worth Rs 7,200 crore in the power sector. Where is it on the ground? All the power projects have been allotted through the MoU route. The private producers will sell it as per their profits as none of the projects are dedicated to Punjab,” he said.

On development

He said the interest of Punjab would be paramount and the Congress will honour all development commitments made by Akali-BJP government. “Unlike the Akalis who harassed the investors who had committed investment to the tune of Rs 1.07 lakh crore for 399 mega projects,the Congress government will facilitate and support projects of the current regime,” he added.

Freebies bad

On free power to farmers,he said,it was he who had started the scheme. “The farmers are not able to get the support price commensurate to the input cost,hence it is necessary to compensate them in some way with subsidies. I know this is bad economics but governments also has social commitments to meet,” he said.

Anna welcome

On social activist Anna Hazare’s call to tour poll-bound states,Amarinder said he has always welcomed the activist. “But before he comes,he should know about the colossal level of corruption indulged into by the Akali-BJP regime. He is a person who has raised a movement against corruption in the country and cannot support the Akalis or BJP in Punjab.”

Candidate list

“The Punjab Election Committee will soon be holding the meeting for the screening of the candidates. The list would be finalised by the month end,” he said.

Moshe unhappy

He also alleged that the Israeli architect of the Khalsa Heritage Complex,Moshe Safedi was not happy with the way the monument’s design has been executed. “It has not been completed according to the original plan as it had been modelled after the Holocaust Museum of New York. Also,the Akalis were unduly claiming the credit for it.