It was Balle Balle all the way as former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, standing atop an open truck, was given a rousing reception by Congress workers here on Friday.
As the Congress candidate for Amritsar rode into the holy city, shouts of Captain Balle, Balle and Captain aa gaya, Captain chhaa gaya (Captain has arrived, Captain has taken over) rent the air.
Saying there was no Modi wave in the country as was being made out by the media, Amarinder later told reporters that his opponent, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, was “like a child who does not know anything about Amritsar and was pushed here by the RSS and the Badals for his political murder”.
“He is a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat. If he had so much love for Amritsar, then why did he not come earlier?” Amarinder said.
Describing Jaitley's candidature from Amritsar as a conspiracy, the former CM said the “Badals and the RSS have sacrificed an innocent person”.
Confident of his own victory, Amarinder claimed the Congress would win all 13 seats in Punjab. He also said he would not remain confined to Amritsar but would campaign in every constituency in the state.
{{/usCountry}}Confident of his own victory, Amarinder claimed the Congress would win all 13 seats in Punjab. He also said he would not remain confined to Amritsar but would campaign in every constituency in the state.
{{/usCountry}}Outside the Clock Tower entrance to the Golden Temple, however, a few youths waved black flags as Amarinder and his senior colleagues entered the shrine. The demonstrators said they were protesting as Amarinder belonged to the party that was responsible for Operation Bluestar in 1984.