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Honest people from other parties welcome in Cong: Amarinder

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Press Trust of India Ludhiana
Last Updated : Feb 15 2016 | 8:42 PM IST
Capt Amarinder Singh today said honest and good people from all political parties are always welcome to join the Congress.
The Punjab Congress chief did not rule out the possibility of more leaders from other political parties joining the Congress but refused to divulge any names.
Amarinder said the JNU controversy was quite "unfortunate" as the Constitution guaranteed the freedom of expression to everyone and it must not be "muzzled" at any cost.
On Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's disclosures that the JNU protests received support from from LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, Amarinder said, "he (the Home Minister) must come out with the details as the country has the right to know."
Talking to reporters after inaugurating the SC Conclave of the party organised as part of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Amarinder said that winnability will be the sole criterion for choosing the candidates in forthcoming assembly elections.
Asked whether party can shuffle the candidates in the next assembly elections, the PCC president said, every constituency and every candidate will be thoroughly assessed before the final nomination and if the need be, the party can take any decision.

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On the issue of alliance, Capt Amarinder said, he had favoured the alliance between the like minded secular parties like the People's Party of Punjab, which had already merged with the Congress, the CPI and the CPM and the BSP.
He said, he still favoured an alliance with these parties and was hopeful.
Amarinder said, it was immaterial for the Congress whether the Akalis and the BJP contested together or separately.
He said, "both the parties had been finished off and the BJP cannot now escape the blame."
Amarinder claimed the Aam Aadmi Party was no challenge to the Congress as the party was only creating a false hype.
Asked about his allegations that the AAP was pursuing an extremist agenda, Amarinder reiterated that the AAP was playing a dangerous game by playing up "extremist sentiments."
"AAP should resort to democratic means and not to the divisive and extremist agenda that can set Punjab on fire," he warned.

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First Published: Feb 15 2016 | 8:42 PM IST

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