Setting at rest speculation, Rahul Gandhi today announced that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh will be the party's chief ministerial face in the high-stakes Assembly polls and launched a scathing attack on the Akalis for "plundering" the state.
With drug menace being a major poll issue in Punjab, he promised bringing a tough law to wipe out "chitta" and jail those responsible for "playing with the lives of the youth" if his party comes to power in the state.
Amarinder (74), who is fighting his last election, will be the next Chief Minister if the party forms government in the state, Gandhi said.
Addressing the rally in the pocket-borough of Punjab minister and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the Congress vice president claimed Amarinder "alone can change Punjab" and set it on the right track along with the support of the people and there is no other way out.
The ruling SAD and AAP have been mocking Congress, asking why the party was not declaring Amarinder as its chief ministerial candidate for the February 4 Assembly polls.
"Punjab will be run by its people. I want to tell you that Punjab's chief minister will be from Punjab and Punjab's chief minister is sitting here. Amarinder Singh is the chief ministerial candidate and he will be Punjab's chief minister," he said, prompting leaders to congratulate Amarinder on the dais.
The Nehru-Gandhi scion said Punjab will not be run by "remote control" as it does not need one, taking a veiled dig at Arvind Kejriwal and accusing him of wanting to become Delhi and Punjab chief minister at the same time.
He also made a scathing attack on the ruling Badals, accusing them of ruining Punjab and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of siding with them and talking of eradicating graft.
Gandhi hit out at Modi for claiming to fight corruption through demonetisation and asked the Prime Minister how he could share the dais with the "corrupt" Akalis while claiming to be fighting graft.
"Modi says that he is fighting against corruption, you tell me when he talks about corruption and when he comes here and stands with the Akali Dal, how he can talk about corruption," he said.
In an apparent reference to the growing incidents of sacrilege in the recent past in Punjab, Gandhi claimed on the one hand, Modi is proclaiming himself to be against communalism of any kind and on the other, he is backing a party that is creating "communal polarisation in Punjab".
He also charged the ruling Badals with monopolising everything in the state and alleged that even if one has to seek a job then one has to give the "cut (bribe)" to them.
"They (Akalis) did not give anything to the people but only extended benefits to their own people," he said, adding they control everything, ranging from transport to cable TV business.
"If you need job, then you give cut to the Badals. If you have to travel from one place to another, then you have to use their buses. If you have to watch TV, then give cut to the Badals. For everything, you will have to give something to the Badals," the Congress leader alleged.
Gandhi, who began his three-day election tour to the poll-bound state by addressing his first public meeting in the presence of Amarinder and Navjot Singh Sidhu, also attacked AAP and Kejriwal of "trying to befool" the people of the state by making false and empty promises.
Raising the drug issue, Gandhi claimed, "During my visit
(to Punjab) 2-3 years back, I had said 70 per cent youth of Punjab is affected by this menace. At that time, the SAD leaders laughed at me. Two to three years later, the entire Punjab is saying that drugs are a big problem in Punjab."
"If Congress comes to power, we will frame a tough law against drugs, against chitta... We will frame such a law that when anyone thinks about drugs they will shake with fear. We will punish people responsible for ruining the youth. We will fight and win war against drugs," he said.
He also lashed out at the "tall" promises of AAP, claiming they had made similar promises in Delhi but had failed to deliver on even a single one and urged people to ask their friends and relatives in Delhi about the difference between Congress and AAP governance there.
Gandhi said this election is not to "form a government but to save Punjabiyat" and Punjab's honour and only Congress with the help of people of the state can do it.
The Congress vice president appealed to the people to join hands with his party to revive the fortunes of the state and collectively work towards the establishment of Punjabiyat.
He declared that the party always does what it promises.
"The state, has been plunged into total destruction and devastation by the ruling Badals and cannot be restored to its old glory in two days. But will be done with the blood and sweat of Amarinder, Sidhu and the people of Punjab, backed by the rest of the party leadership," Gandhi said.
"Those promising change in Punjab overnight are misleading the people," he alleged and claimed that Congress would restore the spirit of 'tera hai' (it's yours) and not 'mera hai' (it's mine) "which the Badals had established over the past 10 years".
"Guru Nanak sahib said 'sab tera' (all is yours) but the Badals' philosophy is 'sab mera' (all is mine)," he said.
If Congress comes to power, all "false" cases registered against innocent people under the Badal rule will be cancelled and Punjab will have "people's government", he said.
"Punjab's money is that of its farmers and labourers. It will be spent on their development," Gandhi noting that Punjab's loan would be waived once Congress comes to power.
Gandhi claimed that as businesses in Punjab are in the hands of the Badals, the state is facing a host of problems including drugs and held them squarely responsible for all the mess.
He lambasted the Badals for allegedly plunging the state, which was once the backbone and the food basket of the country, into "total ruin".
"Yesterday, I was in Delhi and it was raining heavily. There were dark clouds, lightning and rain was pouring. Whenever farmers sees 'badal' (clouds), he feels happy that rain will come and their fields will get water and there will be good yield.
"But in Punjab, the Badals (the ruling family) don't give water. They came to power and gave everything to their own people and nothing to the people," Gandhi said.
"In Punjab, the 'Badals' don't give any prosperity to the people, they take everything away. Once Punjab used to shine and to spread light in entire country. Punjab filled the nation's food needs and the state acted as a driving force for the country," he said and alleged that the state has fallen behind in many spheres.
