Punjab CM ridicules Harsimrat's charges of disrupting rallies

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday ridiculed Akali leader and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal's allegations of the Congress government in the state disrupting her poll rallies.

In a statement, he said it was the wrath of the people that they were venting against the sufferings meted out by the Shriomani Akali Dal on them for 10 years.

Expressing surprise that the Akali leader was facing protests only in some villages and not all over the state, Amarinder Singh said the anger of the people who had been victimised for 10 years by the Badals and their cronies were now finding voice.

The fact that Harsimrat Kaur was prevented from entering a village in her own constituency only showed that harsh reality was catching up fast with the Badals, who had made the people of Punjab shed tears of blood over their decade-long misrule, he said.

Trashing her charges of misuse of official machinery by the Congress government to sabotage her campaign, Amarinder Singh said the Akalis had sabotaged their own prospects with their misdeeds, including their attempts to polarise the people with sacrilege cases.

They had put the entire official machinery in motion prior to the Assembly elections but had been routed in the polls by the wrath of the people, he said, adding that the people had not forgotten or forgiven the Badals for the devastation wreaked on them for over a decade.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an alliance partner with the Akali Dal, filed a complaint with the Election Commission against the Chief Minister for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

The complaint said the Chief Minister made several announcements of projects at an election rally in Gurdaspur constituency on Saturday.

While campaigning for Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar, the Chief Minister announced to enhance the capacity of a sugar mill to 10,000 tonne.

He also announced to establish an ethanol plant for production of electricity and to prepone the paddy sowing dates, which the BJP alleged was violation of the election code.

All 10 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will vote on May 19.

--IANS

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