Mission of Punjab Lok Congress is not just to defeat Congress, but also to form government: Amarinder

Former Punjab Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday that the mission of his party is not only to defeat Congress in the upcoming assembly polls in the state, but also to form a government.

Addressing a meeting of party workers and office-bearers after inducting a former MP and some former MLAs into the party here today, Singh said that he was very happy with the enthusiasm he is getting from people across the state. He said that soon many sitting and former MLAs from all the three political parties, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) would join the Punjab People's Congress.

Revealing the mission of Punjab Lok Congress on the occasion, the former CM said that he did not come here just to become the Chief Minister once again. Referring to some of the problems being faced by the state during this period, he said that his aim was not only to save Punjab, but also to restore its old honour.

The former chief minister revealed that Punjab is under heavy debt of about Rs 5 lakh crore, which constitutes about 70 per cent of the state's total GDP. "It will take many generations to repay this amount and for this, the right steps need to be taken immediately," he added.

He also expressed surprise as to the manner in which Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was making populist announcements. Presumably, he knows that Congress is not going to come back to power and the next government will have to bear the burden.

Singh said that Punjab cannot depend on agriculture for long and it needs investment for modern industry. He disclosed that by September 2021, Rs 1 lakh crore had been invested in Punjab.

Similarly, referring to the threat from neighbouring countries, he said that, "India does not want to have enmity with any country. I am not personally against any Pakistani person, but I have a problem with the government of Pakistan and the terrorism factories there, who spread terrorism here and kill our soldiers on the borders of the country. 83 Punjab jawans have been martyred during the last 5 years. In such a situation, you guess the deaths across the country. Under these circumstances, no real Indian can call Imran Khan and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa as his friend."

During this, he reacted to Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu publicly calling Imran Khan his friend and said that, "If you are a friend of these people, then you are not a well-wisher of India."

Similarly, referring to the bad condition of other political parties in the state, Singh said that the Congress party was facing an internal war, "Where the Chief Minister and the State Congress President are moving in different directions and the workers and leaders are confused about whom they should reach."

About the Aam Aadmi Party, he said that it is facing a phase of decline. "Half of its MLAs have already left the party and the rest are ready to leave," he added.

Regarding the Shiromani Akali Dal, he said that, "During their tenure, the incidents of sacrilege in the year 2015 and the punishment given by the people due to no action on them, they are not able to stand their footsteps. Moreover, farmers will not forgive them for their support to the agricultural laws, they later changed their stand."

Whereas about his party's strategy, he told that Punjab Lok Congress will share seats with the BJP. He said that BJP is also in discussion with Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. He hopes that soon the seats will be agreed and the new government will protect the interests of the state at any cost.

( With inputs from ANI )

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