Amarinder dares Badal for open debate

MUKTSAR, Jan 14: Amarinder Singh, president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, today challenged state Chief Minister Parkash Singh...

MUKTSAR, Jan 14: Amarinder Singh, president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, today challenged state Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to have an open debate with him on all the Punjab issues, including the on-going quot;economic crisisquot;.

Speaking at the Maghi Mela party conference, he said that the SAD-BJP government had not only failed to come up to the expectations of the people but had driven the state to a state of quot;bankruptcyquot;. He appealed to the salaried class to be prepared for any eventuality as the government might stop their salaries at any time. He said that such an alarming situation had arisen due to the total mismanagement of ruling alliance in handling the economy.

The PPCC chief dared Badal, who is also the Akali Dal president, to withdraw support from the BJP government at the Centre over later8217;s failure in shielding the minorities from the fundamental forces such as the Vishav Hindu Parishad and the Shiv Sena.

quot;If Badal is sincere towards the rights of minorities, he should immediately withdraw support to the BJP-led governmentquot;, he said, while criticising the recent attacks on Chiristians in Gujarat and the activities of Shiv Sainiks. He said that the Congress would celebrate the tercentenary of Khalsa Panth with full fervor by organising a grand Deg Teg Fateh Sarbans Di Yatra in April. He said that the earlier schedule of Yatra was changed due to bad-weather which could affect the attendence at the March.

Meanwhile, the PPCC showed its full unity as the state Congress stalwarts, including Harcharn Singh Brar, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Santokh Singh Randhawa, Jagmeet Singh Brar and several others not only shared the common stage but also expressed confidence in the leadership of Amarinder Singh.

He said that the high temporal seat of the Akal Takht for which every Sikh had a full regard should not be involved in the petty politics of the Akalis. He said never in the past had so many farmers committed suicide as had in the present regime of the SAD-BJP. He demanded a CBI probe into the production and sale of spurious pesticides.