Amritsar, Mar 11: The Congress victory in Punjab is the defeat of Badal family's arrogance and will herald the revival of the party in the country, Navjot Singh Sidhu today said. The Congress is all set to return to power in the agrarian state where it has been out of power for a decade now.
"This is the revival of the Congress. It is a beginning. The Congress will revive from here. The party will take strength from here and spread across the country," Sidhu said addressing a press conference. He said the party's victory is the result of people's faith and confidence in the Congress.
Sidhu said he earlier told Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi about making Punjab a leader. "This is Punjab Congress' gift to the party leadership. It is a new year gift from our side," he said, conceding that the Assembly polls was "a fight for existence" for the Congress.
The former BJP MP, who switched over to Congress ahead of elections, attacked the Badals, saying the people of the state have defeated the arrogance of those in power till now. "This is the destruction of Akali Dal. People have broken the arrogance of the evil and arrogance loses when atrocities touch a peak," he said.
"Thieves looted Punjab and filled their own coffers," he said. Sidhu, who contested from Amritsar East which was held by his wife and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Navjot Kaur, also took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying he was "the principal of the school where he is studying".
He said the paid trolls that the AAP convener carried out on social media to make wrong projections during elections have been defeated. "The truth never gets defeated," he said. "Now the arrogance has been shown the door," he said adding that Congress will provide new energy to the state.
"Kejriwal's intentions were wrong... he wanted everything for himself," he said, adding "for Badals it was everything for their personal welfare". "Congress will always fight for the rights of people of Punjab," he said. The cricketer-turned-politician said "it is the biggest victory of party workers".
He expressed confidence that Congress after coming to power in the state would work selflessly for the progress of Punjab and will not act with any sense of vendetta against its opponents. On the issue of drugs, he said that a stringent law will be made to end the menace. "People have a lot of expectation from Congress and we will strive hard to fulfill them," he said.
Congress will take measures to end farm suicides, he said. "By giving a decisive verdict in favour of Punjab, the seeds of prosperity have been sown," he said. Punjab will set an example of good governance and state's empty coffers will be refilled, he said. Punjab's lost glory will be brought back," an elated Sidhu said.
Badal to resign tomorrow, says party will introspect on performance
Lambi (Pb), Mar 11: As the Congress headed towards forming the next government in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said he will resign tomorrow and support Amarinder Singh on the issues related to the rights of the state.
Badal said he will ask his son and Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal to form a committee so that the reasons behind the defeat can be discussed in detail. "I will meet the Punjab Governor tomorrow and submit my resignation," Badal, who has been the Chief Minister of Punjab five times, said.
The 89-year-old veteran, who was the oldest candidate in the fray, said he accepts the people's verdict and and his party was ready to extend full cooperation to Amarinder Singh to work for the rights of Punjab.
On SAD's dismal show in the polls, he said the reasons will be discussed threadbare at the core committee meeting of the party. "I will also ask SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal to set up a committee to look into the reason behind party's failure in the polls," he said.
The counting trends have indicated that a Congress government was set to take over in Punjab.
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