Badals are just 'mountebanks': Amarinder

PCC chief Amarinder Singh described Badal family as "mountebanks" engaged in histrionics under frustration over their "declining political graph".

Chandigarh, Dec 22: Describing the Badal family as "mountebanks" engaged in histrionics under frustration over their "declining political graph", PCC chief Amarinder Singh today said Akalis have no "meaningful agenda" to fight the elections.

With a "shameful track" record of 10 years of "misrule", the Badals were resorting to all kinds of cheap gimmicks and are pursuing a regressive poll agenda, underlined by personal and slanderous attacks, said Amarinder in a statement issued here.

He said the people would retaliate forcefully to throw out the Badals in the coming assembly polls.

"Faced with imminent electoral defeat, the Akalis have taken to launching personal and baseless attacks against me and my party," said Amarinder, citing the spate of comments by senior SAD leaders against his inherited legacy and the accusation that he was "bullying" the Election Commission.

"Do the Badals have such a low opinion of the EC that they believe anyone can bully them," asked Amarinder, further demanding to know if raising concerns and requests with the EC amounted to pressurizing them.

The Punjab Congress president said Akalis had absolutely no solid argument to counter the Congress charges and apprehensions raised with the EC.

He claimed that Sukhbir Badal had launched a project for which the foundation stone had already been laid by a union minister. He asserted that the people of Punjab, who had suffered "extreme hardship" under the Badals rule, would not be taken in by such publicity stunts.

Amarinder alleged Badals had "abused power" and misused public funds to promote their personal and party interests.

PTI