LUDHIANA, March 12: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said, the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was the prisoner of an archaic mindset and he had not been able to come out of it.
Talking to reporters after appearing in the local District and Sessions Court in connection with Ludhiana City Centre case, Capt Amarinder said, for last fifty years Mr Badal has been saying just same three things federalism, focal points and adarsh schools time and again.He said, whenever Mr Badal is in power and his alliance party is in power at centre he never raises the issue of federalism and more powers to states and it is only when it is a different government that he remembers about federalism. He said, Punjab needed to move forward and not backwards as Mr Badal is trying to do. He pointed out, it is because of the attitude and approach of Mr Badal that Punjab is gradually drifting towards the list of backward states in the country.
Capt Amarinder said, thanks to the poor vision and gross mismanagement of this government grants worth Rs 3600 crores provided by central government for various schemes were lapsed during the last four years as the state was not able to provide the magic grants.
Answering a question on factionalism in the Congress, the PCC President said, as such there was no factionalism as entire rank and file was united and all the leaders had been participating in all party programmes like rallies. At the same time, he added, there can always be a difference of opinion which must not be taken as factionalism. He pointed out, the leaders are working with one purpose to see the Akali-BJP government out.
The former Chief Minister also clarified that he did not believe in vendetta politics. He pointed out, vendetta means victimising someone just because he belongs to a particular political party as the Akali-BJP government has done with the Congress workers. “We don’t mean to target people just because they belong to Akali Dal or the BJP”, he clarified while adding, “we will only bring those to book who will be found guilty of having victimised our workers”.
To a question about the release of the PCC and district presidents’ list Capt Amarinder Singh said, he had already submitted it to the party high command. He said, the new party in charge for Punjab Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak will be coming to Punjab tomorrow and he will discuss the issue with him.
Capt Amarinder Singh also visited the residence of senior party leaders Pawan Dewan and KK Bawa.