Asserting that SAD-BJP combine is the "only viable, sustainable combination" which people will vote for in the next year's assembly polls, BJP's Punjab election co-incharge Captain Abhimanyu Singh today said "good governance and development" will be its key poll planks.
"SAD-BJP combine is the only viable, sustainable combination for the benefit of people of Punjab. It is now that Punjab has an opportunity to take advantage of NDA government at the Centre and further improve its economic situation with the support of the Central government," Abhimanyu, who is also Haryana's Finance Minister, said here.
Abhimanyu claimed that people will reject the Congress, which proved "disastrous" for the State when they ruled the State, while Aam Aadmi Party has "lost its credibility".
"Out of over nine years of the SAD-BJP government's rule, it was UPA which was ruling at the Centre for almost eight of those years. But UPA did not pay heed to one of genuine demands of Punjab, which was still recovering from the impact of terrorism days," he said.
"It needed some financial and fiscal support, which UPA should have ideally conceded. But unfortunately, despite all best efforts of State government, UPA was not forthcoming," he added.
At the same time, Abhimanyu said, "But we see a lot of economic development is going to happen under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country, so Punjab is ideally poised to take advantage of this possibility".
"This is natural because of his towering personality and his status in national politics, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will be the ideal person to lead Punjab in this economic renaissance," he claimed.
"So, people of Punjab are wise to understand that Congress and AAP are not credible enough, at least in the governance. And good governance and development are the two key issues on which we (SAD-BJP) are going to contest the elections together," he said.
Hitting out at AAP, Abhimanyu claimed that it has completely lost its credibility.
"People of Delhi have seen their misrule. Now, people of Punjab will not allow this comedy to turn a tragedy of Punjab," he said.
About Congress, he said, "Congress proved disastrous in their previous tenure and people of Punjab will not like to take chances with people governing the state from the palaces (taking a veiled dig at Capt Amarinder Singh).
With Congress and AAP accusing ruling Akalis of
plundering the State, Abhimanyu said "all these are all political accusations."
Further when asked that Congress often points fingers at the ruling Akalis on the drug problem, Abhimanyu retorted, "if there was anything wrong done (by the Akalis), they (Congress) could have got the inquiries done when UPA was ruling the Centre".
"There are various institutions of government and also various judicial and quasi judicial bodies, The same Congress leaders who are now making allegations and accusations could have filed applications, why did they not do so," he said.
"They have only used these allegations and accusations as political weapons and tools. They could never substantiate them with facts and evidence. People of Punjab understand that during ten years of that (Cong led UPA) Government they could not bring anything against them, so this merely a political rhetoric and nothing else," he said.
Asked to comment if anti-incumbency factor could go against the SAD-BJP, Abhimanyu said, "anti-incumbency is one fact which every political outfit has to keep in mind while making its strategy for the elections".
"At the same time, when we are doing that SWOT analysis (a study undertaken by an organisation to identify its internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as its opportunities and threats) and factoring the strength and weakness of the opponents, the whole matrix gives us a sense of optimism. This whole electoral dynamics which is emerging, despite the anti-incumbency, people of Punjab will vote in favour of good governance, development and progress," he said.
