Punjab CM seeks another term to 'restore' state's glory

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here on Tuesday sought another term to restore the state's glory, insisting that his government needed more time to fix the problems faced by Punjab.

The chief minister said earlier he had thought that five years would have been enough to revive the state's fortunes but the situation was "so bad" that the government needed more time.

He also assured that in the remaining two years of the current term, his government will fulfil all promises made to people as he wanted to "see a smile on the face of every Punjabi".

"If the Congress returns to power, the next seven years will witness Punjab being restored to its previous glory as India's number one state," Singh said at a conclave held to mark three years of the Congress rule in the state.

He promised to take Punjab forward "by leaps and bounds" if voted for another term while stressing that Punjabis are hardworking people, who can do wonders if shown the right direction.

The CM, however, said though state finances have improved, the government was still going through a financial crunch and needed to spend judiciously.

The CM expressed confidence that in the absence of a strong opposition, the Congress stood a good chance to return to power and take the state's progress to the next level.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has "lost ground" while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in "total disarray" in the state, he stressed.

An official statement quoting the chief minister said, the Akalis lacked leadership at the moment as the Badals "never allowed a strong leadership to emerge".

On AAP, he said there was a lot of hype about them even during the 2017 polls but the party failed to translate the opportunity into a victory.

On his party MLA Navjot Sidhu, who had quit the state cabinet last year after he was divested of his key portfolios in a reshuffle, the CM said they have not met for a long time but the former minister had committed to sticking to the Congress and it was up to the high command to decide how best his services could be utilised.

The CM said coronavirus was a major disaster, which will lead to a serious slowdown in the economy.

The situation is already bad and if it spreads further, then things will worsen, he said, warning of a severe slowdown in the post-coronavirus scenario.

He, however, assured that the state government was taking all steps to combat the problem but people have to realise the dangers and take precautionary measures.

On farming issue, Singh said his government will not allow the "kurki" (auction) of the land of the farmers in debt trap.

He also dismissed the Centre's promise of doubling farmers' income as a "mere hogwash" in the absence of any concrete steps.

"Does the Union finance minister even know what agriculture is all about," he asked, demanding that she should explain what the Centre planned to do to boost the farm income.

Taking a dig at Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Singh said in response to a question that while he could not give figures like her, he was confident that given the right atmosphere and assistance, Punjab's hardworking farmers and the industry could increase their income on their own.

Referring to reports that the Centre was mulling doing away with the MSP for crops, he suggested if they felt there was enough stock of paddy and wheat, they should extend the MSP to alternative crops, instead of "simply dumping the farmers of Punjab", who were responsible for giving India its food security.

The Centre has to help out the farmers, it has to support diversification, said the Punjab chief minister.