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Punjab polls: Can’t delay further, Cong to name candidates in a week, says Sidhu
There is a system of verification, screening committee and the central election committee, which announces the candidates, said Sidhu
Chandigarh : Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said the party would announce the names of its candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in a week.
Sidhu said the announcement of candidates cannot be delayed further. “There is a system of verification, screening committee and the central election committee, which announces the candidates,” he said at a press conference in Chandigarh in response to a question on the party’s nominees for the state polls. The Congress is still to name its candidates any of the 117 seats whereas its principal rivals, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (SAD-BJP) alliance, have named most of their candidates.
The Congress screening committee, which held half-a-dozen meetings, has reached consensus on half of the seats, mostly won by the party in 2017, and given its recommendations to the central election committee headed by party president Sonia Gandhi. The nomination papers can be filed from January 21 to 28.
PPCC chief spells out resource generation model
Outlining his Punjab model for resource generation, Sidhu said separate corporations for liquor and sand mining, cable regulatory commission, promotion of the transport corporation with change in policy and regulation of total outdoor advertisement would be the key to this. “The liquor corporation will regulate the industry and sell liquor. The state-run corporation will own production and distilleries. Further, opening of government-run liquor stores will help in generating employment,” he said, pegging the likely revenue generation at over ₹25,000 crore.
The PPCC chief said sand mining was being run by a mafia benefitting a few powerful people in the system. “There are 102 mining sites with an estimated demand of sand of 2.4-3 crore tonnes annually. This could be hugely capitalized for revenue generation and employment with the help of online booking at fixed price, use of technology for ordering, delivering and monitoring,” he said, advocating government control with appropriate regulated policies to generate additional revenue and jobs.
In the cable industry, he spoke about encouraging competition to end monopoly, levy of carriage charges, etc to generate ₹2,000 crore each year. He also said a corporation would be set up to sell and regulate the packaged water bottle of Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rives.
‘Willing for debate if anyone has better agenda’
Asked about the tussle between him and chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi over their separate models of governance, Sidhu said he was talking about the Punjab model with the consent of the Congress general secretary. This would go to them before the manifesto, he said, adding that his future would depend on this agenda. “If anyone has a better agenda, I am willing to have a debate,” he added.
Asked about Akali leader Bikram Majithia’s interim bail in a drug case, the state Congress chief said he would not speak on a sub-judice matter.
