We are not into vendetta politics… the Congress will set up an independent Vigilance Commission
Capt Amarinder Singh,who took over as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee recently,claims that the response of people wherever he goes is overwhelming.
What do you think is the mood of the voters in Punjab?
Its that of severe anger against the policies and attitude of the Akali government. I havent ever seen such a spontaneous response by the people they have mobbed me wherever I have gone in the recent past. I had seen support swelling for us in 2002 before the Assembly polls in which the Congress had emerged victorious,but this time the response is much more encouraging.
Do you think the revolt by former finance minister Manpreet Badal will help the Congress?
It will certainly cause damage to the Akalis,particularly in their stronghold of rural Malwa. Manpreets father is very popular in that area and has been overseeing Akali politics there. I dont know if they would join hands again in future,but the damage has already been done.
Are you planning to reopen corruption cases against the Badals if you come to power?
No,we are not into vendetta politics. We shall not reopen the cases which they have got closed with the help of their handpicked officers. The Vigilance Bureau has become the hand maiden of the government. We would like to bring in an independent Vigilance Commission,to be headed by a retired judge of the high court,for complete transparency.
What change would you like to bring about?
We shall adopt a forward looking policy. Enough damage has been done to Punjab and its economy is in a shambles. If elected to power,we would like to bring in a total change in economic policies. For instance,we cant carry on with old industrial policies that were framed 25 years ago. We need to break the wheat-paddy rotation and adopt diversification.
Why should we encourage paddy cultivation when the country has surplus production?
During your tenure as the chief minister,your government had claimed a go ahead to nearly 400 mega projects. What went wrong?
The Akalis have reversed all our policies. Our growth rate has plummeted to 4.7 per cent,which is among the lowest for any state in the country. The finances are in very poor shape. I have been quoting figures from their budget documents to prove that the debt burden has increased sharply during the Akali regime.
What would be your priorities?
It will be to revive projects such as Farm to Fork,not just for diversification but also for its export potential. The ancillary units are lying defunct and have shifted to Gujarat,Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. We shall work on the service sector,primary and tertiary sectors to ensure that Punjab is back on rails. There are over 14 lakh unemployed persons in the state,we have to create jobs for them.
A major criticism against your government was that you did not add even a megawatt of power during your regime?
Its untrue. We initiated thermal projects at Rajpur and Talwandi Saboo and laid the foundation for two other major power projects. The Rs 1,750 crore Lehra Mohabbat Phase II project was done during our time and we had signed an MoU with GVK on another power project which the Akalis have
reversed.
How relevant are the traditional issues such as dispute over capital city and water sharing?
Lets forget these old issues. We need to worry about unemployment and the states stagnant economy. We would like to set a new pace of growth not only for Punjab but for the entire country.
Have you drawn up your strategy for the Assembly polls?
I plan to tour all the districts and then visit all the Assembly constituencies. I would like to interact with the common people and gauge their reaction. I am expecting cooperation from all sections of our party.
It may be too early to ask,but do you plan to give more representation to the youth in the next Assembly elections?
Yes,certainly. We have some very good and upcoming young leaders in the party and they deserve a chance to prove their mettle.
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