Oppn crying foul in face of imminent defeat in civic body polls: Amarinder

Hitting out at opposition parties over their allegations that the Punjab civic body elections were "rigged", Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said they were crying foul in the face of their "imminent defeat" in the polls.

His remarks came on the eve of the counting of votes for the civic body elections. Polling for over 100 urban local bodies was held on Sunday.

Singh claimed the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will be "trounced" in these municipal polls as they have totally lost the confidence of the people of Punjab.

On the Opposition's allegations that the ruling Congress captured booths and indulged in violence during polling on Sunday, the chief minister said, "It's a panic reaction to their inevitable wipeout in these polls."

All these parties have worked together to ruin Punjab, with the "black farm laws" being the latest in their long line "anti-people and anti-Punjab" actions, Singh said in a statement here.

The shock of their "total rejection" has unnerved the leadership of the opposition parties who are now "desperately seeking refuge in lies and excuses" to cover up their impending failure, he said.

"Why would my government or my party try to sabotage an election that we are clearly winning?" he asked.

The chief minister accused the BJP and the AAP of working in collusion "to seize the polls by hook or by crook".

Singh also hit out at BJP leader Tarun Chugh over his remarks that the people of Punjab are living in terror and fear.

People of the whole country are, in fact, living in dread of the "tyrannical" central government, he said.

The BJP-led government at the Centre has become so "despotic" that it cannot tolerate the slightest dissent, even on social media, which is why they probably believe that other parties are also running repressive regimes wherever they are in power, he added.

Singh said the Congress has always upheld the constitutional principles of democracy and the freedom of citizens and continues to do so in Punjab and other states where it is in power.

As for Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, Singh said, the party is nothing more than a tool of the BJP to spread misinformation and promote its anti-people agenda.

"The lies of these parties are clearly motivated by their petty political agenda," he said.

Singh called upon the opposition parties in Punjab to stop trying to mislead the people with their deceitful statements and actions.

Whether it's the BJP, the AAP or the SAD, it is evident that they are all totally removed from the ground reality and have failed to read the mood of the people, he said.

People have rejected their policies of divisiveness, crony capitalism and tyranny in favour of Punjab's development and progress in an environment of peace and stability, he added.