Amarinder terms state tour as roadmap for 2017 polls

Former chief minister and Amritsar Congress MP Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched the second phase of his rallies, terming them a roadmap to the 2017 Punjab assembly elections.

Former chief minister and Amritsar Congress MP Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched the second phase of his rallies, terming them a roadmap to the 2017 Punjab assembly elections.

Addressing a packed gathering at Rampura Phul town of Bathinda district, Capt Singh said that the Congress had started preparing for Mission 2017 to show the Akalis the door and to free the people of "poor governance of the SAD-BJP government" in Punjab.

“If the Congress comes to power, it will rejuvenate Punjab’s economy. There is a need to bring industries on the ground than limit them to paper,” he said.

Taking a jibe at the ruling Badals, Capt Singh said that they had already started speculating that he would stop free power to farmers if voted to power. “I can assure farmers that power subsidy will not be stopped. The Congress is a pro-farmer party,” he said.

He cautioned the Shiromani Akali Dal against playing up the Panthic agenda by promoting radical Sikh elements.