Desertions won’t affect us, claims Amarinder
Friday, 08/06/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120608/punjab.htm#5
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today claimed desertions would not affect the party that had a “glorious” past dating back to 125 years.
“Those (deserters) who want to leave (the party) may do so. No one can compel them to remain in the party,” he said. Flaying the State Election Commission for its “unresponsive” role in the municipal corporation and nagar panchayat elections, he said the code of conduct should be equally applicable to the ruling party. “The transfer of senior police and civil officials are clear violations of the code of conduct,” he said.
Alleging that bogus votes were being created, he cautioned “ultra-loyalist” officials against any partisan role during the poll. “Five years is not a long time and these officials will have to be accountable for what they are doing,” he said.
Addressing mediapersons after wrapping up his two-day campaign tour of six assembly segments of Ludhiana, he claimed that the morale of party workers was high. On the lessons the party had learnt from its debacle in the assembly poll, admitted that the party should have handled the rebels better.
Owning responsibility for the party’s defeat in the Vidhan Sabha elections, he dismissed the suggestion that the SAD had a better poll management strategy. “The Akalis’ money power hurt the Congress,” he maintained.
Condemning what he termed as “state-sponsored” violence during the nagar panchayat poll, he said he apprehended similar violence on June 10.
Among others who accompanied Amarinder were local MP and Congress national spokesman Manish Tewari, PPCC vice-president Laal Singh and District Congress Committee president Pawan Dewan.
