Badal regime left Punjab devastated: Amarinder

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday accused Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal of plunging the state into "utter ruin and devastation" during the 10 years of "misrule" of the previous SAD-BJP regime.

Amarinder Singh hit out at the former deputy chief minister over his "baseless" allegation that the incumbent Congress government was being indifferent to the problems of the people of the state.

In a statement here, Amarinder Singh derided the SAD chief for having the "gall" to accuse him of being indifferent to the problems of the people after plunging the state into "utter ruin and devastation during the 10 years of misrule" of the SAD-BJP alliance.

Notably, Sukhbir Badal in his election rallies, has been calling Amarinder Singh the "worst" chief minister, charging him with stalling all development projects.

"The only thing I am indifferent to is the opinion of Sukhbir, who is just a publicity-seeking politician looking for photo-ops to remain in the public eye," Amarinder Singh said.

"I have a government to run, and unlike Sukhbir, who does not believe in positive governance, my only concern is the people's problems, which we have been working hard in the past two years to solve," he added.

The people had given him and his party the mandate to address their grievances, which every citizen of Punjab, except Sukhbir Badal, was fully aware of, said the chief minister.

"Sukhbir took 10 years to create the problems, and now wants me to spend all my term identifying those problems?" quipped Amarinder Singh, adding that he was well aware of the woes of every section of the society.

"The people of Punjab do not want to see me gallivanting all over the state for 45 days. They want me to spend all this time constructively, to deliver on our promises," said the chief minister in a reply to Sukhbir's charge that he does not leave his house.

"Such antics by Sukhbir did not help the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the 2017 Assembly polls, or the various by-elections and other elections in the state thereafter, and will not help them now," Amarinder Singh said further.