I am all for peace: Amarinder on PM's Lahore visit

Congress may have been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lahore visit, but its senior leader Amarinder Singh today appeared reluctant to toe the line saying that he was "all for peace" between the two nations and had too visited Pakistan as chief minister.
"I am all for peace and have always maintained peace," Amarinder said here while addressing media here. He was asked about Modi's "unscheduled" visit to Pakistan yesterday.
The former Punjab chief minister and state Congress chief also mentioned about his visit to Pakistan when he was the Chief Minister.
"When I was CM, Indo-Pak games were held. 4,500 visas were issued for a cricket match here," he said.

"During my visit to Pakistan, I had met Pervez Elahi who was the then CM (of Pakistan's Punjab). We decided to start exchange of doctors, students etc," he said.
"All of us are interested in peace... I am a solider, every day when I see a picture of soldier's coffin coming down...," said Amarinder.

He said, "if borders are opened trade will improve and it is in the interest of Punjab."
However, he said it is for the AICC to make a comment on Modi's visit to Pakistan. "On Modi's visit it is for the AICC to comment and they have commented and they will comment more," he said.

Meanwhile, while reacting to Modi's visit, former Union Minister Manish Tewari said the manner in which it was attempted will "undermine country's national security".
"Captain (Amarinder) has rightly said that you need to make a distinction between the desire to normalize relations with Pakistan and the manner in which you want to do. It the manner in which Prime Minister is attempting to do it is undermining India's national security, it is undermining our strategic interest," Tewari said.
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Speaking on the occasion, Bajwa said the Congress party has decided to launch a sustained campaign for getting justice for the farmers with the theme 'kisana naal insaf karo, saara karza maaf karo' (do justice with farmers, waive off their all loans).

He reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi about BJP's manifesto promise to implement Swaminathan Commission report on agriculture.
He said the Modi government had waived off Rs 1.14 lakh crore debt of its "favourite industrialists" and asked why then it cannot waive off the loans of farmers which amount to Rs 56,000 crore.
Addressing the dharna, Asha Kumari exhorted the party workers to ensure that the Congress forms the government in the state. She alleged that Akalis and the BJP had "devastated" Punjab over the last 10 years.
Chairperson of Congress Campaign Committee Ambika Soni accused the Badals of ignoring Punjab and keeping everything within the family.

She said, on the one hand, there is a leader like Capt Amarinder who risked his Chief Ministership to save Punjab's waters and on the other hand, there are Badals who are bothered about themselves only.
Former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said the Congress government led by Manmohan Singh had provided everything to Punjab as demanded by Badal, while on the other hand, BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not even prepared to meet him.