Capt Singh takes a jibe at SAD's '2007 manifesto'

Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh has ridiculed SAD’s claim of “zero tolerance” towards corruption in its manifesto as the “election joke of 2012”.

“SAD’s promise sounds like the devil himself quoting scriptures,” said Capt Singh. He said the Akalis, particularly Sukhbir Badal, has not stopped trying to build castles in the air even after having failed in the last five years.

On SAD’s claim of strengthening the Lokayukta, Capt Singh said, “If they were so sincere, why did not they do it in the last five years?”

He said the Congress government had appointed a Lokpal headed by Justice Dhaliwal, and when SAD came to power they weakened the institution.

“There was only one assistant sub-inspector attached with the Lokpal and no other person,” he said.

Referring to Sukhbir’s “day dreaming” about Punjab being power surplus and the state’s projected ability to export electricity from 2013, Capt Singh said Sukhbir had made a similar promise in 2007.
 “It seems they have simply reproduced their 2007 manifesto,” he said. Punjab still reels under three days of power cuts a week, he added.

A Metro in Ludhiana was also promised in 2007 but this has not been fulfilled, he said. He made fun of SAD’s commitment of getting Chandigarh and Punjabi-speaking areas back from Haryana. Capt Singh said SAD has been saying it for the last 40 years during elections.

Taking a dig at SAD’s claim of converting the entire state transport corporation buses into air-conditioned ones, the former chief minister said people in Punjab know how SAD allegedly manipulated the transport policy to their own advantage.
Punjab goes to the polls at the end of this month.