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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Arvind Kejriwal a ‘summer storm’: Captain Amarinder Singh
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Arvind Kejriwal a ‘summer storm’: Captain Amarinder Singh

Congress's Punjab CM candidate Amarinder Singh dismissed Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP as a temporary phenomenon in the state's politics

Some commentators had said earlier that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP stood a chance either of winning Punjab or giving the Congress a strong fight. Photo: Ravi Choudhary/ Hindustan TimesPremium
Some commentators had said earlier that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP stood a chance either of winning Punjab or giving the Congress a strong fight. Photo: Ravi Choudhary/ Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Riding high after being voted to power in Punjab after a decade, the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate Amarinder Singh on Saturday said he was committed to working for the people of the state and dismissed Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a temporary phenomenon in Punjab politics.

“I want to thank all the Congress workers from the top to the bottom who worked hard to make this happen. I have been saying from the first day that the voters in Punjab are smart and vote after sensible and they saw that the AAP has no leadership," he told reporters after the results became clear.

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“I think he is a summer storm. He came and he is gone," he said when asked about Kejriwal. In the run-up to Saturday’s counting of votes, some commentators said the AAP stood a chance either of winning Punjab or giving the Congress a strong fight.

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Laying down his agenda for the incoming state government, Captain said that all the promises made in the manifesto without any monetary value will be taken up in the first cabinet meeting. “The people of Punjab want development, jobs. Priority is to make Punjab drug-free," he added, referring to the widespread problem of substance abuse in the state.

The Congress’s ‘something for everybody’ manifesto for Punjab was aimed at the state’s youth, women and farmers. It included loan waivers and free power for farmers, a job for every household, unemployment benefits, smartphones for the youth, free education for girls, free textbooks for all and tackling the drug problem within four weeks of being elected.

Punjab election results live updates: Congress’s Amarinder Singh thanks people for their support

“While I am at the topic, I hope the Union government will recognize the aspiration and demands of Punjab," he said.

Several questions at the press conference were about the likely candidates for the post of deputy chief minister, particularly with reference to former Test cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu who joined the Congress from the BJP. “The deputy CM to the junior most minister—the decision will be of our high command. Party president (Sonia Gandhi) is not there, but vice president (Rahul Gandhi) will take the decision," he added.

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Published: 11 Mar 2017, 01:17 PM IST
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