Congress will form govt in Punjab after 2017 polls: Shakeel Ahmad

Accuses PM Narendra Modi of working against people and farmers to protect the interests of a select few

Congress today asserted the party was "fully united" and it would form government in Punjab after the Assembly polls due in 2017.

"Congress will form government in Punjab in February 2017 and the party is fully united," AICC General Secretary Shakeel Ahmad said during a political conference organised at Rakhar Punia fair in Baba Bakala town.

Ahmed, who is also in charge of the state affairs, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of working against people and farmers to protect the interests of a select few.

Lashing out at the ruling Badal family, Ahmad said that the income of Badals' grew "exponentially" while public continued "to land deeper and deeper into quagmire".

He also accused them of controlling cable, transport and several other businesses in the state.

Addressing the conference, Punjab Congress Chief Partap Singh Bajwa demanded a CBI probe into drug scam in the state, besides debt waiver to farmers and early implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP).

Alleging that Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia was involved in the multi-crore drug scam, Bajwa said only CBI probe could unearth the "deep rooted scam" going on under "political patronage".

He called upon Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to press Modi government at the Centre to come to the rescue of Punjab farmers and allow Rs 51,000 loan waiver for them.

On the issue of OROP, Bajwa took a dig at the BJP by terming it as "Bhartiya Jumla Party" and said the UPA government had taken the decision in principle and the modalities were being worked out when the government at the Centre changed.

He said that it was Modi's promise to implement the same but now he had "backtracked" that amounted to "cheating" the ex-servicemen.

Senior Congress leader and former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal targeted PM Modi for "failing to bring back black money and distribute the same among common people" as used to be "his refrain in the run up to the Parliamentary elections".

"Both 'Jawan' and 'Kisan' were the worst sufferers under the present dispensation," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, All-India Youth Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded Supreme Court monitored CBI probe into drug smuggling cases in Punjab.

Attacking the Badals for allegedly looting Punjab, he said that Badal and his son, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal were funding the Aam Aadmi Party as part of their strategy to "weaken" Congress and called upon the people to remain alert to thwart such "nefarious designs".

Senior party leader Jagmeet Singh Brar, called upon the Congressmen to stand united and hailed the struggle by the party in Parliament under the leadership of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on issues like Land Bill.