Amarinder advocates Central rule

LUDHIANA, Feb 15: President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Capt. Amarinder Singh today said if the situation in the state conti...

LUDHIANA, Feb 15: President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Capt. Amarinder Singh today said if the situation in the state continued to worsen, the Centre should seriously consider imposition of President8217;s rule.

Singh stated that the government should act fast and not allow the kind of bloodshed that finally lead to the decision in Bihar. He added that after the financial crisis in the state, the next stage is likely to be a breakdown in law and order.He was speaking to the media while waiting at the Ludhiana airport for the arrival of CWC member and former Union minister Rajesh Pilot, who was here to address a rally in Moga. Pilot, who later spoke to the media, said the condition of the state which had been brought to normalcy by the Congress, was back to a dangerous situation.

This, he added, was the fault of the Akali Dal, which had converted a religious body like the SGPC into a political battle ground.Pilot said Congress President Sonia Gandhi had made it clear the party would not interfere in the Badal-Tohra feud in any way. Capt. Amarinder Singh said the charge made by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal of Congress supporting SGPC Chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra, was baseless.

quot;Badal and Tohra are two branches of the same tree. I have heard them both publicly call for Khalistan. In any case, given their track record, they are living on borrowed time. Punjab is on the verge of bankruptcy. We met the President and presented our demand for imposition of a financial emergency in the state,quot; Amarinder said.Pilot stated the Akali Dal adopted double standards in Punjab and Delhi. quot;Here they say they are a government of farmers and in Delhi, lured by a post, they forget thisquot;.

Surjit Singh Barnala was party to the decision to raise the price of urea.8221;Commenting on the imposition of President8217;s rule in Bihar, Pilot said he felt the situation in the state had gone from bad to worse, certain facts regarding the decision aroused the suspicion that it may not be impartial.

He added, quot;Imposition of President8217;s rule was part of the BJP-Samata election manifesto and that arouses suspicion. Before the Congress takes a stand on the issue, we have to determine the circumstances leading up to the decision. We find the Centre rushing paramilitary forces to the state, why could not this have been done 10 days ago when Chief Minister Rabri Devi was asking for reinforcements? If the Centre felt that the Chief Minister and the DGP were inefficient, they should have acted earlier. Did the Centre warn the state through the Intelligence Bureau?quot;

Criticising the BJP government, Pilot stated they had also brought about a deterioration in the defence services. quot;Just recently, three Air Marshals have been appointed to the Maintenance command due a mistake by the Defence Secretary. The Cabinet Committee on Appointments, which includes the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, has been misled. Such things should be checked. Take the controversy over the Naval chief, he was unable to meet the Prime Minister for over a week, this should have never happened8221;.