Rahul officially names Amarinder as congress CM candidate in Punjab

Majitha: Officially announcing Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh as the party's chief ministerial candidate, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today took the Congress battle against the corrupt and criminal Akali leadership into their bastion of Majitha, with the promise of waiver of farm loans, and a tough law to wipe out chitta, along with jail for those responsible for playing with the lives of youth.

The Congress Vice-President made it clear at his first public rally in Punjab at Majitha, the constituency of Akali MLA and state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, that Capt Singh would head the Congress government after the polls. Lauding the PPCC president as an experienced leader, who had given his sweat to Punjab, Mr Gandhi said he would once again fulfill every promise made to the people of Punjab. Flanked by Capt Singh and party’s star campaigner Navjot Singh Sidhu, Mr Gandhi appealed to the people of Punjab to join hands with the Congress to revive the fortunes of the state and collectively work towards the establishment of Punjabiyat.

Both Mr Gandhi and Captain Singh promised cancellation of all the fake cases filed against the innocent people by Akali leaders in the past 10 years and asserted that those guilty of victimising and terrorising the people, will be thrown into jail once the Congress comes to power. The state, Mr Gandhi said, had been plunged into total destruction and devastation by the Badals and cannot be restored to its old glory in two days, but it will be done with the blood and sweat of Capt Singh, Sidhu and the people of Punjab, backed by the rest of the party leadership.

He appealed to people to strengthen the hands of Congress and bring growth back on the rails in Punjab. Those promising change in Punjab overnight are misleading the people, said Mr Gandhi, adding that Congress would restore the spirit of 'tera hai' (it's yours) and not 'mera hai' (it's mine), which the Badals had established over the past 10 years. Guru Nanak Dev said 'sab tera,' but the Badals' philosophy is 'sab mera', he added. Punjab will go to polls in single phase on February 4. (UNI)