Punjab CM to campaign in Telangana

Senior Congress leader and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will join the electoral campaign in Telangana, ahead of the December 7 Assembly polls.

Amarinder Singh's campaign would surely add to the Congress party's support base, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal told PTI here Wednesday.

"Of course. Punjab CM will campaign in Telangana. I think he is one of the most senior and respected figures of the Congress party," he said.

Asked if the dates have been finalised, Badal said it depended on the Telangana Congress Committee and also how the campaign builds up.

Badal, who is among the members ofthe manifesto committee formed by the All India Congress Committee for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is also looking into drafting the manifesto on agriculture.

Earlier, Badal told reporters here that the committee members were touring various parts of the country for feedback before finalising the document.

"The committee is holding open consultations by talking to stakeholders including farmers and farm labourers. It will visit 300 different places understand the problems, regional problems and come out with some kind of policy, solution," he said.

"Hopefully in the next 30 to 40 days after touring, we will start drafting this manifesto and it has to be approved by the CWC and the president.

In the first week of January, the manifesto should be ready. I don't know when it will be released. It requires lot of reading and vetting," he said.

Reacting to a query on waiving crop loans, Badal said the Punjab government has already launched a farm loan waiver scheme which will benefit 10.25 lakh farmers in that state.

Punjab has also devised an agriculture policy and laid it in the Vidhan Sabha, he said.

Reacting to another query, Badal said "I feel the idea of food policy has to be converted into nutrition policy and that should be the aim."