Arvind Kejriwal cries foul over Amarinder contesting polls against Badals

Kejriwal said if Amarinder really wanted to defeat Badal then he should have stuck to Lambi and not decide to fight polls from a second constituency, Patiala (Urban).

Chandigarh, Jan 16: AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal today alleged that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh is contesting polls from Lambi not to defeat Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal but to help him win the seat.

"The captain (Amarinder Singh) is fighting from Lambi to help Parkash Singh Badal win the seat and not to defeat him. Basically, he is not fighting against Badal but (doing so) to cut anti-Badal votes."

Describing Amarinder's move as "back stabbing" Punjab's people and "shameful", he said, "When there is so much anger against Badals in Punjab, the captain shook hands with them. He has betrayed and back stabbed people of the state." The Delhi Chief Minister alleged that a deal had been struck between Amarinder and Badal under a "tacit understanding". "Some persons who are very close to the captain met me today and told me that a deal has been struck between him and Badal," Kejriwal said in a video message.

"(Parkash Singh) Badal has requested the captain to fight polls from Lambi to cut anti-Badal votes," he alleged. Kejriwal claimed that Badal will be defeat in his seat by AAP's Lambi candidate Jarnail Singh. Earlier, Amarinder had said he had sought the Congress high command's permission to fight the Februray 4 Punjab Assembly polls Badal's constituency of Lambi to ensure the "total defeat" of the Akali leadership.

"The captain is saying he is contesting polls against the injustice caused by Badals and this is why has chosen to fight from Lambi. I ask him that despite being in politics for 35 years, why he did not engage the Badals directly." "If you wanted to contest then why you did not announce this two months back? You made announcement (to contest from Lambi) just 10 days before polls," he said.

Kejriwal said if Amarinder really wanted to defeat Badal then he should have stuck to Lambi and not decide to fight polls from a second constituency, Patiala (Urban).

PTI