In a major decision, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today said that none of his family members, other than him, will contest the assembly elections scheduled to be held in early 2017.
"It is a principled stand I and my family have taken that only one member will be contesting," he told a group of students, from various educational institutions from Punjab, which met him at his residence over an hour long interaction here today.
Amarinder also announced that once elected, his prime mission shall be to ensure at least one job in every family with respectable income.
The former Chief Minister's wife Preneet Kaur is a Congress MLA from Patiala while his son Raninder Singh is also a party leader.
Notably, Amarinder, who is also Congress' Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, had in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, defeated senior BJP leader and at present Union Minister, Arun Jaitley, from the Amritsar parliamentary constituency.
When asked by the students as how could they join politics as they did not have any political family background, the PCC president told them that the times were changing and particularly in the Congress young and enterprising people were being given chance to contest.
"It is not like the Badals where everything is disbursed and distributed within the family," he remarked taking a dig at the ruling family of Punjab.
While 88-year-old Parkash Singh Badal is the Chief Minister, his son Sukhbir is the Deputy CM, daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur is a Union Minister and SAD MP from Bathinda, while Kaur's brother Biram Majithia is a Minister in the SAD-BJP Government.
When asked by one of the students as whether he preferred Parliament or Vidhan Sabha, Amarinder remarked, "of course Vidhan Sabha" (State Assembly). He said, his interest has always been in Punjab.
Amarinder has been Punjab's Chief Minister between 2002-2007.
To another question whether he will contest the Vidhan Sabha elections, he said, "yes I will be contesting the Vidhan Sabha elections".
Some of the students also wanted to know whether he himself handled his Facebook page or it was someone else.
He told them that they can check with him anytime and he personally handled his Facebook and answered all the questions himself.
The students also wanted to know as how Amarinder Singh
will solve the problem of unemployment.
He agreed with them that it was easy said than done. However, he assured students that he will build up the confidence of investors so that they set up industries which will lead to job creation.
Besides, Amarinder added, his mission will be to ensure at least one job in each and every family in state with "respectable" income.
"By job I don't mean just a government or private sector job, I mean respectable income generation which can be possible in several ways, like agriculture, entrepreneurship and other business ventures," he told the students, adding, he was confident about accomplishing it.
The students also expressed concern over the drug addiction in the state and alleged police high handedness.
Amarinder said, he had already announced that it will be his first priority to settle the drug issue if Congress comes to power in the state in 2017.
