)
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today attacked opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party over leadership issue, alleging both the parties were embroiled in "intense infighting" over it, unlike the ruling SAD which he said was united.
"Both Congress and AAP are engrossed in intense infighting on the issue of leadership unlike the Akali Dal, which was united and capable of giving a strong and stable government," the chief minister said.
Badal claimed that the top Congress leadership in the state was up against each other. "Captain, Bajwa and Bhattal had their daggers out to eliminate each other from the political scene for their own survival," the veteran Akali leader said.
Taking a dig at AAP, Badal said,"It had been able to exploit the sentiments of people by showing mirage." He dared its leadership that one can "befool people once but not for all times."
Badal claimed that the one-year-old party in Punjab was heading swiftly towards its "decay" as its leaders in the state were at "loggerheads" on the issue of leadership.
The chief minister also accused both the parties of misleading people of the state for their "vested interests" with the sole aim to rule the masses.
Addressing a public gathering here on the occasion of Rakhar Punia at Baba Bakala here, Badal said that the leaders of both the parties were "opportunists" and generally come out in the election season out of their "hibernation".
"On the contrary, Shiromani Akali Dal was the party having rich legacy of safeguarding the interests of farmers and the downtrodden, as both these significant sections of the society have been ignored by these parties for their narrow interests," he alleged.
Badal said that the SAD-BJP alliance offered free power to the farmers despite severe criticism from the Centre.
"It was on the record when Amarinder Singh's government came to power in 2002, he withdrew this concession from the farmers as first and foremost action," Badal alleged.
Badal alleged that Punjabis could never forget the "discrimination" meted out to Punjab during Congress regime at Centre be it religious, economic and political issues.
"Everybody knew how Congress deprived Punjab of its legitimate rights like transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas to the state and sharing of river waters on Riparian principles," Badal said.
