Jalandhar, April 22: Lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “highly irresponsible statement” on India’s nuclear arsenal, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday appealed to the people to support the Congress party’s `jung’ for protecting the future of the nation, which the BJP-led government at the Centre had plunged into a state of ruin and devastation.
Accompanied by Kaypee, CM joins Jalandhar Congress candidate Santokh Singh Chaudhary at filing of nomination papers
Kickstarting the process of filing of nominations by Congress candidates in the state from Jalandhar, where he accompanied Punjab Congress candidate Santokh Singh Chaudhary to file nomination papers at the District Administrative Complex, the Chief Minister told mediapersons that the prime minister’s threat to trigger a nuclear war, clearly as a tool to be re-elected, was highly irresponsible.
The Chief Minister was accompanied, among others, by former Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, whose house he visited before proceeding to the District Administrative Complex. “He (Kaypee) is a senior leader, an old Congressman who will be campaigning wholeheartedly for the party,” he said, rejecting any anger on the part of the ex-MP. Cabinet minister Sunder Sham Arora and ex-minister Rana Gurjeet Singh also accompanied the chief minister, along with a large number of party workers and supporters.
On the occasion, Advocate Gulshan Sharma, who had contested on AAP ticket from Jalandhar North in the 2017 Assembly elections, joined the Congress. Captain Amarinder welcomed him into the party with the confidence that he would help further strengthen the Congress in Jalandhar.
“This is a jung for the future of the nation. We are fighting a party that made tall promises but failed to deliver on even a single one of them,” the Chief Minister later said, addressing a public meeting at the PUDA grounds here. He lashed out at the BJP for ruining the nation with its anti-people policies, such as demonetization, GST etc.
Pointing out that unemployment rate was at an all-time high, Captain Amarinder ridiculed Modi’s promise of `achche din’, saying “acche din us din aange jis din enna da bhog payega” (good days will come only when their rule is brought to an end).
People are sick and tired of their `jumlas’ and lies, said the Chief Minister, adding that people want jobs, industry etc. The people of India will overthrow the Modi government, which has spent the last five years misleading and lying to them, he said.
Flaying the prime minister for his blatant and shameful politicization of the armed forces, the Chief Minister said the Army and the forces are not Modi’s personal property and any government of the day would have done what he did in the wake of the Pulwama attack. Every day, army and paramilitary personnel are dying in the line of duty, and yet the prime minister has the audacity to take credit for their actions, he added.
The Chief Minister came down heavily on the BJP for giving a ticket to Sadhvi Pragya, who has been openly going around making divisive and hate speeches, and insulting the men in uniform. “Such people are deliberately being given tickets by BJP in order to divide the people of India,” he said, asserting that the people would not allow the ruling party to destroy the nation’s peaceful fabric to promote their petty political interests.
The government’s job is to ensure the welfare of the people, not divide them, said Captain Amarinder, adding that the government must understand and work towards mitigating the problem of the people.
The Congress in Punjab, he pointed out, was continuously working for the betterment of the people and working for upliftment of all sections of the society. He cited the examples of farm loan waiver for 10.25 lakh marginal and small farmers, as well as landless labourers, and the facilitation of youth to get employment/self-employment as part of his government’s flagship ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar aur Karobar’ scheme.
Unfortunately, the government cannot give jobs to everyone and was trying, therefore, to get more and more industry and private enterprise into the state for the creation of employment opportunities, the Chief Minister said. He indicated the establishment of an industrial circle in Jalandhar to bring in new industries and promote further industrial development.
With today’s nomination papers being filed, the Congress had given a further impetus to its Mission13, Captain Amarinder said, adding that the pace would be enhanced with two nominations being filed per day beginning tomorrow.
Several senior Congress leaders, including Cabinet Minister, Sunder Sham Arora, Rana Gurjit, Avtar Henry, Sushil Kumar Rinku, Pargat Singh, Rajinder Berry, Hardev Laddi and Ch. Surinder, also attended the public meeting.
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