Nothing unusual about tickets to turncoats: Capt Amarinder

Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh today said there was "nothing unusual" in the possibility of giving tickets to turncoats as it was a common practice in all parties, and even Congress has done it on earlier occasions.
Asked to comment on reports of internal opposition to giving tickets to 'turncoats' who join the Congress, Amarinder made it clear that the prerogative of allocating tickets for the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections was of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.
Speaking to reporters here after welcoming a number of Akali and AAP leaders and workers into the party fold, Amarinder assured that no sitting MLA would be deprived of a ticket but asserted that the "one family, one seat" rule would be stringently followed, without exception.

Asked about the reported divisions within the party over the possible issuance of tickets to those who joined the Congress fold recently, Amarinder pointed out that this had been done even earlier.
He cited the instance of Manpreet Badal, who was nominated by the Congress, for the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Bathinda, and Simar Pratap Singh Barnala, grandson of Surjit Singh Barnala, who was the joint candidate for Congress and Sanjha Morcha for Dhuri by-election in 2015.
Amarinder said it was common for all parties to take in politicians from other parties.

"Some leave us, some come," he said, responding to questions about the reported rift in the Punjab Congress on giving tickets to "turncoats".

"The fact that so many people are joining the Congress is a good sign for the party," said the PPCC president, adding that it showed that the people of the state were with his party.
Asked about allegations against his wife and son of having Swiss bank accounts, Capt Amarinder rubbished the allegations.
He further said, "The case is politically motivated and instigated by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who had called in Enforcement Department officers to initiate a probe."
The PPCC chief pointed out that "the ED had failed to come up with any proof to endorse the charges."

Amarinder was also asked about AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegation that the Punjab Congress chief and his family, stashed huge ill-gotten money during Amarinder's tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007, in Swiss bank accounts.
Rubbishing the allegations, Amarinder accused Kejriwal of acting as "Jaitley's paid agent".
He ridiculed Kejriwal's attempt to once again rake up the "fabricated and politically motivated charges" of the existence of Swiss bank accounts in the names of his family members "by releasing old and unauthenticated documents.