SAD, PPP have 'secret understanding': Amarinder

Khanna, Punjab: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today charged ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the People’s Party of Punjab with having a “secret understanding” in the state Assembly elections. SAD and PPP are working to facilitate the victory of Parkash Singh Badal and PPP leader Manpreet Badal from Lambi and Gidderbaha seats respectively, he told an election meeting at Khanna. [caption id=“attachment_189185” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and party candidate from Patiala assembly seat, Capt. Amrinder Singh filling the nomination papers in Patiala on Tuesday. PTI”] [/caption] Singh said Badal’s younger brother Gurdas Badal might “feign some illness and get hospitalised” to leave the field open in Lambi for his brother Manpreet in return for the “favour” shown to him in Gidderbaha by the PPP leader by not fielding any Akali Dal candidate from there. The Akali Dal candidate in Gidderbaha is a Congress rebel, Singh said. The PCC President, however, claimed both the Badals would lose as people have already seen through their “tacit understanding” to befool the public. Singh accused the SAD-BJP government of complete failure and said the the state’s infrastructure had not improved in any way in the last five years. Addressing rallies at Jagraon and Raikot, he said the Akalis had divided Punjab purely for sectarian purpose and they were yet to overcome that mindset. He promised the voters that if Congress came to power, farmers’ crops would be insured. The poor would get ‘aata’ (flour) at Re 1 a kg under the proposed National Food Security Act, he said. The PCC chief, meanwhile, expelled rebel candidate Bhalinder Singh, who is contesting as an Independent from Khanna against Congress nominee Gurkirat Singh Kotli. Singh and Gulchain Singh Chadak, AICC general secretary and incharge of Punjab affairs, directed all rebels to retire by Saturday or face expulsion. Chadak told reporters at Ropar that he was touring Punjab to ask rebels to withdraw from the fray. PTI