Badal warns against 'entertainer politicians'

Cautioning people against being swayed by "entertainer politicians", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday said that such leaders were out to only befool people through hollow slogans and mimicry.

"The entertainer politicians, without any sufficient administrative experience and acumen, could hardly contribute anything tangible towards the development of the state and the welfare of its people," Badal told a gathering on the occasion of Eid celebrations in this Punjab town, which has a sizeable Muslim population, 110 km from Chandigarh.

"Several new parties have mushroomed up in the state and were trying to befool the voters through hollow slogans and mimicries but it is on record that only the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance has steadfastly safeguarded the interest of Punjab and Punjabis," he said, in a reference to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is trying to expand its base in Punjab having won on four Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 general elections.

"People should at least draw comparison between the performers and tricksters. Some politicians can only entertain the audience by playing to the gallery through their senseless speeches but couldn't deliver the goods effectively when entrusted with onerous responsibility of running the government. So I ardently request all of you not to be swayed by such swindlers," Badal said, especially requesting the youth not to get carried away.

He said the opposition Congress was shedding fake tears over agrarian issues in the state.

"It is on record that farmers of the country were suffering due to the regressive policies of successive Congress governments at the centre," Badal said, adding that the Congress was now exploiting the sentiments of farming community.