Rubbishing the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) poll manifesto as a "bunch of lies aimed at misleading the people", Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today said the ruling Badals had failed to implement even 20 per cent of the promises they made during the last elections.
"Were they sleeping all these years," the former Chief Minister asked, rejecting their offer of farm loan waiver as a "mere gimmick" with an eye on the polls and reiterating the Congress commitment to take over all the loans of debt-ridden farmers and agricultural labourers immediately if Congress comes to power in the state.
Lamenting the "pitiable condition" in which the Badal-led SAD-BJP government had left the state after 10 years of "shameful misrule", Amarinder alleged they failed to do anything for the people in 10 years, and now, just 10 days before the polls they are asking people for another five years.
"What stopped them from working in the interest of the people all these years? Or were they too busy filling their own coffers to think about the welfare of the people?" Amarinder questioned, while speaking at a public rally in Mansa.
Amarinder alleged neither the Akalis nor the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were interested in the welfare of the people of Punjab.
"With all Punjab's disputes with Haryana, how can a Haryanvi be trusted to stand by the people of Punjab," asked Amarinder hitting out at Arvind Kejriwal.
Castigating the Badals for allegedly pushing Punjab to the brink of bankruptcy and plunging it into a state of anarchy and lawlessness, Amarinder vowed to unshackle the state from the clutches of the drug mafia within four weeks of taking over the state's governance and bring the youth back into the mainstream of the society.
"We will give jobs to the unemployed youth to divert them from drugs, liquor and other destructive habits," he promised the people.
Meanwhile, AAP today rejected the election manifesto of Shiromani Akali Dal, saying "it is a pack of lies and crude reminder of unaccomplished promises of previous elections of 2007 and 2012."
AAP campaign committee chairman Bhagwant Mann in a statement at Chandigarh said that SAD chief Sukhbir Badal "is more popular as bluff master than the president of SAD".
"The government had two terms of five years each to fulfil the promises, which SAD had made in 2007 and 2012. The alliance government has messed up with economy of state, made the state bankrupt and people beggars," alleged Mann.
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