Centenarian marathoner seeks votes for Sanjha Morcha

Centenarian marathoner Fauja Singh is a man who always aspires hope in others and this is precisely the message he sent out in Rajasansi on Monday when he appealed to the people of Punjab that it was the right moment to bring about a change in Punjab by throwing out the Congress and SAD-BJP alliance and giving the reins of power to Manpreet Singh Badal and his Sanjha Morcha.

"Look at me I took to running when I was well past my prime. Even now it is not too late to grab the opportunity that has come our way for the better future of Punjab. The 'waheguru' has given this opportunity to us now and we must not let it slip", he said while addressing the Sanjha Morcha rally in support of the PPP candidates of Raja Sansi, Ajnala, Attari and Jandiala segments at Kukrawala village, 5 kms from Rajasansi.

"I know we do not have a magic wand to eradicate corruption, unemployment and other evils from our system overnight. I took to running when I was 70 and I am still running, so why not give change a try and bring Manpreet to power", he added.

The grand old man went onto explain that even those sitting abroad were very much concerned about what was happening in Punjab. The law and order situation is bad as ear rings are freely snatched fro women on the roads and drug addiction is on the rise, he added.

"This is our nation we just cannot fly off from here and leave Punjab alone', he added.

He stresed on the victory of Sanjha Morcha candidates contesting from the constituencies in the holy city and in its vicinity. "Amritsar is the centre of Sikhism and these seats must be won at all costs", he added.

Satirist-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann who reached the rally site late addressed Fauja Singh as, 'our Naujawan' (youngsters) and hoped that those present would give due thought to the views of the marathoner and vote for the Sanjha Morcha on January 30.

Mann in his speech said that a change was necessary in Punjab for safeguarding our future generations. There was need to go beyond distributing grants for cremation grounds and streets as Punjab is plagued by drugs, female foeticide and unemployment, he added.

Referring to numerous incidents of protestors being beaten up while asking for justice in the last couple of years, Mann said, "Angrez (English) are much better as they politely ask you to remove your turban. However here a slap comes across your face and the turban is removed".

Calling himself as the 'cannon' of the PPP, he said " This is the reason why I have got a bigger target---Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal in Lehra Gagga constituency. No one wants to hear her speeches as her CDs are stale".

The candidates of the PPP from Raja Sansi, Ajnala, Attari and Jandiala also addressed the rally.

First Published: Jan 23, 2012 20:41 IST