Punjab Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh is in an upbeat mood. After presiding over 40 rallies in the state and visiting every nook and corner, he is confident that the party will form the government and win over 70 of the 117 seats.
Unfazed by large-scale rebellion in the party following ticket distribution, the Captain says that some resentment is natural because the ticket seekers know that Congress would form the government and want to be a part of it. In an exclusive interview, the 70 year old Maharaja of Patiala says that this could be his last election. Excerpts from the interview.
Q. Elections are round the corner. How are you feeling?
A. I feel confident. The response is positive everywhere be it the urban or rural areas. We are going to win 70 plus seats and in remaining days we will concentrate on the marginal seats for better results. We are going to sweep in all the regions of the state.
Q. There has been an unprecedented rebellion within congress after distribution of tickets. Will it affect the outcome?
A. We have only 117 seats and had received 1550 applications. Therefore this reaction takes place. Everyone wants to join us and want to get ticket because Congress is going to win and make the government with a clear majority. But now, people are coming back after initial resentment.
Q. The SAD-BJP coalition has brought in Right to Service Act and is claiming to have ushered in several administrative reforms.
A. They have not brought any administrative reforms. I introduced the Suvidha Centers in all Blocks of Punjab and they changed its name to Service Act. They have made the bureaucracy accountable through this. But I am of the opinion that ministers and politicians should also be made accountable for administrative lapses and failure to deliver services in time.
Q. If you fall short of numbers who could be your possible ally?
A. There is no if. We will get a clear majority and form the government.
Q. Will Manpreet’s Sanja Morcha have an impact on the outcome?
A. He is a young man in hurry. He does not practice what he preaches. His brother-in-law used to run a mafia of collecting JoJo tax, which is the name of the person. Manpreet tries to be holier. But, he is of same dictatorial ideology of SAD. Even if he wins, he will support Akalis instead of Congress.
Q. Your elder brother, Malvinder, has defected to SAD. Will it make any difference?
A. I don’t know why he did so. He had made his mind already as he met the Badals in his village two weeks ago. At that time we had not even started the ticket distribution exercise. This will not make any difference at all.
Q. There was resentment over selection of your son Raninder from Samana constituency.
A. My son is not a first timer. He got ticket on merit. Mrs. Gandhi said candidates should be taken on the basis of merit. He contained the Akalis successfully in Bathinda during the last Lok Sabha elections.
Q. There is speculation that your wife Preneet Kaur could be made the CM after the polls.
A. I have got a good track record behind me. My performance as Chief Minister is there. Look, Congress party has its own procedure for selection of CM. After we win the elections, the Congress High Command will meet and take the final call on who will be the leader. We will leave it to the Congress President to decide. This is what Congress is doing in all states before making the government. Here also same procedure will be adopted.
Q. Will the anti-incumbency against UPA impact the Congress in
A. Corruption is rampant in
Q. Will Sehajdhari Sikhs support you in elections?
A. They are joining us. Why can’t a Sikh, who cuts his hair, not be allowed to vote in SGPC elections? All Sikhs who have cut their hair have not changed their religion. They are born to Sikh parents and have been following Sikhism. No one can stop them from voting. Akali knew these young people will not vote on traditional values and will support Congress, so they are against their voting.
Q. If voted to power, how will you deal with the huge debt
A. There is an economic crisis in
Q. There is speculation that the Finance Minister has disapproved your proposal of debt waiver for farmers?
A. No. We have got back the manifesto which we sent. Both the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister have cleared it. I had asked for approval and I have copies of the order. The manifesto has now gone for publication.
Q. How will you deal with the drug menace in
A. I have raised this problem earlier also. Until, it becomes a national policy, you can’t deal with it. Unemployment and drug market is the main cause of increasing drug abuse in the state.
Q. What will be the key issues in your party manifesto?
A. There has to be major growth in industrial and agricultural sector for providing employment avenues. We have 47 lakh unemployed people in a population of 2.74 crores and among them 27 lakh are youth. This is very dangerous. Now to provide the healing touch to the people we have to come up with some innovative industrial policies. See, today there are 14 clearances required from the government to give a go-ahead signal to an industry, which is the main hiccup in industrial growth in
Q. You had talked about introduction of high quality crops and abandoning of paddy cultivation. What is that idea?
A. The main revenue of people here comes mainly from agriculture. I think farmers having less than 4 acres of land should switch to production of fruits vegetables and high value cash crops and abandon wheat or paddy. I support Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector and it will give farmers a better price than what they get in mandis. We need to bring in major overhaul in agriculture production to push the state towards prosperity.
Q. Your alleged Pakistani connection is being raked up again. What do you have to say on that?
A. I am not bothered. I have friends all over the world in
Q: Is this your last election?
A: Politics is not my bread and butter. I am there for the state and the party. By next election, I would be 74-75. So it could be the last one. (13.1.2012)
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