Amarinder will face defeat for third time: SAD

The ruling SAD today sharpened its attack against former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, a day after he was appointed President of Punjab Congress, terming him an "old lion" with "confrontational mindset" and said he will face defeat in 2017 Assembly polls for the third time.
"Captain Amarinder is considered to be the biggest lion of the Congress whom we had trounced twice (in 2007, 2012 Assembly polls). In 2017, he is ready to face it (defeat) again which will be a hat trick. Now Captain will say I will put Akalis behind bars...Now he has become an old lion. Therefore, Congress has no issue," Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal said.

He was speaking at the second Sadbhavna rally organised here by SAD as part of a series of rallies being held across the state with an intention of promoting peace in aftermath of the desecration incidents that rocked Punjab. The first rally was held at Bhatinda on November 23.
"Congress party is dreaming that now the party can win the elections. Captain Sahib we had said that we will serve the state for 25 years. Still 15 years are left," he said.
Addressing the gathering Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal congratulated Amarinder but cautioned him against following the policy of confrontation which allegedly led to his electoral defeat last two times, saying that people do not like the policy.

"Politicians should not follow the policy of confrontation. We every day see that political parties criticize each other and I want to ask whether the country has benefited out of it. Amarinder is the person who followed the confrontation policy to the hilt in Punjab. He has now become President of Punjab Congress and I congratulate him and his team. Earlier also, he was the causality of policy of confrontation," Badal said.

Citing an example, Badal claimed that Amarinder had openly spoken against Vice President Rahul Gandhi and state party president Partap Singh Bajwa.
"He is in the habit of getting involved in confrontation. Till the time he remained CM of Punjab, he vigorously practiced the policy of confrontation. He wanted to finish Akali Dal and then lodged false cases aganst me, Sukhbir and my wife. What was the result," he alleged.

Predicting humiliating defeat of Congress in 2017 elections, Badal said, "Amarinder will face the same fate what he faced last time."
Cautioning people to recognize political leaders who are trying to push Punjab back to turbulent times, Badal accused the Congress of disturbing peace and brotherhood in the state.
In his address, Badal said, "Whosoever tries to disturb
peace and indulges in confrontation, he will be the country's number one enemy...Till my last breath and last drop of blood, I will never allow peace being disturbed."
He further claimed that during the SAD-BJP regime, no false case was lodged against any Congress leader.

"Ten years have passed while serving the state. Can any Congress leader say we registered false case against him," Badal said.
Earlier, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also dared Amarinder to throw out Congress leaders who had attended 'Sarbat Khalsa' on November 10.
"Your MLA Ramanjit Sikki, Inderjit Singh Zira attended the gathering. What they were doing at the stage? Harminder Gill who has got a photo clicked with Amarinder was suggesting resolutions to be passed there. If Captain has become President (of Punjab Congress), we give him two days to throw out Sikki, Gill, Lali Majithia and Zira from the party," Sukhbir said.

"If they were not thrown out of the party, we will assume that the congregation was held with the tacit support of Amarinder Singh and Rahul Gandhi," he said.
Taking a swipe at Amarinder, Sukhbir asked the opposition party to name any one project which was undertaken during Congress regime in state.
Attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Deputy CM compared it with a "chameleon" for not keeping its promise made before polls in Delhi.
"The party has given vehicles to all of its MLAs, power rates have been doubled, taxes have been raised. They are changing their colours like chameleon as they act opposite to what they promise," he alleged.

Asserting that SAD is a people's party, Sukhbir asked public to reject people who are the enemy of Punjab and the country.
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Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said
Guru Granth Sahib was a beacon of peace for entire mankind and being a devout Sikh he was duty bound to follow the high ideals propagated by the great Sikh gurus.
Badal said he was ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of a peaceful and prosperous Punjab in sync with the philosophy of great gurus, saints and seers.
"I have apprised Sukhbir that this path of preserving the peace was strewn with thorns and peril to life but we are ready to make every sacrifice for the sake of state and its people," he added.

Envisaging the full support of political parties, intelligentsia and religious leaders for promoting the ethos of peace and communal harmony, the Chief Minister said at this crucial juncture political parties should join hands and shun "dirty politicking" to foil the attempts of divisive forces.
He said the politics of confrontation pursued by Captain Amarinder Singh has already "ruined" his political career as the people of state have rejected him twice and added that the former Chief Minister should give up arrogance and indulge in constructive politics.
Badal alleged that the Congress has done injustice to the state by depriving it of a capital, legitimate share in river waters and Punjabi speaking areas.

Holding the party responsible for the 1984 riots, he said the party had "inflicted a deep wound" on Sikh psyche by allegedly attacking the Golden Temple.
He alleged that the Congress was solely responsible for decade-long militancy in the state in which more than 21,000 people were killed following which the state's economy was derailed beyond imagination.
Expressing gratitude to people for turning up in large
numbers first at Bathinda and now here, he said the massive support of the people was a befitting reply to divisive forces.
"The public support in these two rallies is outstanding and we hope that this trend will be replicated in more three rallies to be held at Gurdaspur, Jalandhar and Khadoor Sahib," Badal further said.

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the congregation of November 10 was a deep rooted conspiracy intended to harm national interests.
Taking a dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Sukhbir called it a "Topiwali Party" and said it had "ruined" Delhi and was now training its guns on Punjab.
In his address, former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa recalled the glorious role of the SAD in protecting the democracy during the days of Emergency.
He alleged that the Congress had never forgotten this and had always hatched conspiracies to weaken the SAD and Punjab and added that the state suffered due to the wrong policies of the party.
National BJP Secretary Tarun Chugh questioned the silence of Congress over the presence of party leaders in Sarbat Khalsa congregation near Amritsar.
He also said the dynamic combination of duo with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the state has proved to be a boon for Punjab.