New Delhi, July 3
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today said the BJP was “trying to rejuvenate” Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal with an eye on the Assembly elections in four states later this year.
The Chief Minister, who is scheduled to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi tomorrow to apprise her of the political situation in the state, told The Tribune here that his government would pursue cases against Mr Badal “whether the NDA government likes it not.’’
Taking exception to Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani’s remarks about his government’s “intolerance of Opposition”, Capt Amarinder Singh said these were not based on facts but were made for “political reasons,’’ “I am sorry that Mr Advani has to play this game,’’ he said.
The BJP, he said, was worried over the coming Assembly elections in four states in which Punjabis had a major role in Delhi and Rajasthan, apart from a strong presence in areas of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
“Mr Badal’s image is going down. They want to rejuvenate him which will not happen,’’ he said. The Chief Minister said he had utmost respect for Mr Advani but BJP leaders were also aware of the corruption indulged in by the former Chief Minister.
Denying that he was targeting Mr Badal, he said there were “good people in the Akali Dal like Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra who had nothing against him”. He said nine of 40 Akali ministers were being probed for charges of corruption.
Citing results of recent panchayat poll as evidence of people supporting his government’s policies, he said the Congress had won nearly double the seats in the panchayat elections as compared SAD.
The Chief Minister said fighting corruption was a promise made to people of Punjab and the state government would pursue such cases “whether the NDA government likes it or not.”
