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Bhattal’s connivance with Badal established: Amarinder

Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

CHANDIGARH: The former Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh has charged that the “secret” political alliance between the president of the State unit of the Congress party, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, especially the Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal stood exposed.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Capt Singh said that it was quite intriguing that the prosecution sought to withdraw its petition against Ms Bhattal, when the case about misappropriating Rs 20 lakh from the Chief Minister’s discretionary funds was at the argument stage.

Capt Singh said that the Bhattal-Badal ‘quid pro quo’ came out in the open for the first time, when the PPCC chief allowed the Akalis to postpone the elections to village panchayats. He said that had elections been held as per schedule the Akali Dal would have been routed in the countryside.

The former Chief Minister said that after last round of irrigating the rabi crops before harvest was completed, the State government would be able to release extra power to show 24 hour electricity supply to the villages. He said that the month of May suited the Akalis most to reach out to the village electorate and Ms Bhattal was directly responsible for allowing the opponent party to gain lost ground. Capt Singh scoffed at Ms Bhattal’s statement advising him to avoid criticising her as she was an appointee of the chief Sonia Gandhi and party high command. He reminded Ms Bhattal that she had campaigned against him for almost two years, when as an appointee of the same leadership he was at the helm in the state government.

The former Chief Minister reiterated that he would launch a special programme to organise and enthuse confidence in the party workers. Beginning from the auspicious festival of Baisakhi, which marks the Punjabi New Year, he would get in touch with all those Congress workers, who were persecuted since the Akali-BJP government came to power just over a year ago. He would specially reach out to those workers, who also suffered the apathy from the present leadership of the state unit of the party.

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