Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today accused Arvind Kejriwal of trying to enact a "political drama" by seeking forgiveness from the Golden Temple after "blasphemous" acts of his party and questioned the rationale behind his "proposed apology".
"Who is Kejriwal to seek forgiveness and why is he seeking forgiveness," Amarinder asked at a 'Halke Vich Captain' (Captain in your constituency) here.
"It should be the person responsible for drafting the manifesto and putting the picture of Darbar Sahib along with the broom on it" he said, adding that it was a "deliberate" act by AAP and not an inadvertent mistake.
By seeking forgiveness Kejriwal and his party had already admitted to having committed "blasphemy", Amarinder said.
"Now it is for the Akal Takht (Highest temporal seat for Sikhs) to decide the quantum of punishment and not Kejriwal and the party", he pointed out, while asking, "what logic are they going by, by first committing the crime and then deciding the quantum of punishment themselves".
Arvind Kejriwal will visit Golden Temple on July 18 to perform 'sewa' (volunteer service).
Amarinder also accused Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of getting the investigations in multi-crore drug scandal delayed at the behest of Badals.
Amarinder went on to say that besides Punjab Police, there were some central agencies including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) involved in the investigations of which DRI and ED come under direct control of Jaitley.
"But rest assured we will set everything right and do proper investigations ourselves as it is a matter of only six months more", he said.
On the question of party tickets, he expressed his confidence on Congress president adding that "the final decision will be taken by the Congress president after comprehensive assessment of every candidate."
He hoped and expressed confidence that the entire rank and file will stand behind the candidate announced by the Congress president adding that those who will not get the tickets will be suitably accommodated in the government.
A four-member committee, headed by Punjab Pradesh
Congress Committee vice president Laal Singh, has been set up to screen those wanting to join the party in the run-up to the election, he said.
The Punjab Congress is also set to kick off its farmer outreach campaign to reach out to every household in the state, beginning with a door-to-door drive from October 12, he said.
Unrolling the campaign strategy here, Amarinder said that in the first phase - from October 12 to October 25, party workers will engage with more than 25 lakh households.
The party will establish direct contact with 75 lakh voters, reaching out to more than 2 crore people in this period.
Earlier, at a party meeting, Amarinder rolled out the programme blueprint and assigned targets for party workers.
On the lines of the UP Kisan Yatra, the Punjab campaign will see Congress workers in the state approaching the targeted households with a simple proforma to record the details of the household and the quantum of their outstanding debt.
A receipt will be issued to serve as an agreement guaranteeing debt waiver for the farmers on priority basis once the Congress forms the government, he said.
Addressing party workers, Amarinder said the Congress would waive off all farm debts and ban auctioning of farmland once it comes to power.
The party will also ensure that procurement is carried out promptly, with higher MSP paid to farmers within 24 hours of lifting the grain, he said, adding that most of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report would be implemented.
