Don’t trust ‘paid’ surveys, Congress will form next government in Punjab: Amarinder Singh

Ruling out any threat from the other major political parties in the next Assembly elections, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said the Congress will again form a majority government.

Amarinder Singh believed that his experience of governing the state and also in the Army will help him handle the challenges of the state beyond 2022.

Trashing the C-voter survey, that gave Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) a lead in the 2022 Assembly polls, as a “paid job” of Arvind Kejriwal, Singh said the AAP leader has a huge media budget he can use to buy such surveys.

"Kejriwal’s party poses no risk to the Congress in Punjab. This same company had predicted 100 seats for AAP in 2016/17 and everyone knows how many they ultimately got,” he said, adding that Kejriwal and his party would meet the same fate in 2022.

Pointing out that the Delhi chief minister had failed to implement even 30 per cent of his promises in his previous terms, Singh said Kejriwal should focus on his own state instead of talking rubbish about Punjab. “He talks about giving jobs to Punjabis when his own track record in Delhi is pathetic,” Amarinder Singh said.

As for the Akalis, they are a divided lot and the party is splintering with nobody to hold them together, said the Chief Minister, adding that Badal senior is no longer in a position to lead the party due to his age.

On the BJP’s prospects in Punjab, his quipped, “BJP what? The party has no support base in our state where people are in fact angry with them.” He added that BJP could even end up patching up with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in desperation.

On his own suitability to lead his party in the next polls, Amarinder Singh said he believes he can help Punjab. He has experience in handling the state, especially agriculture which he had been managing since 1985, whenever in office.

Industry has to grow, and they have to have confidence in the leadership, he said, adding that the fact that the state has received Rs 73,000 crore on-ground investment since his government took over in 2017 shows their confidence. Further, said the Chief Minister, Pakistan also needs to be dealt with an iron hand and his past Army training can help him tackle the threat.

He expressed confidence that by the end of his term, 100 per cent of the promises made to the people of Punjab will be fulfilled. “Punjab lives in my heart,” said Amarinder Singh, underlining his commitment to the welfare of the state and its people.