Congress led by Captain Amarinder Singh is mounting a serious challenge the upcoming polls in Punjab. Singh spoke to CNN News18’s Rupashree Nanda on why he is contesting from Lambi, his equation with Sidhu and his other two political rivals.
Q) Why are you fighting from two seats?
A) Patiala is my home town. I have been fighting here since 47 years and I want to finish the last election of my career here. In Lambi, I am going to teach him a lesson so that people should know that nobody can be chief minister and destroy the state in this manner.
Q) Why are you saying this is your last election?
A) I have already announced this is my last election.
Q) What do you have to say about Arvind Kejriwal's accusation that you are helping Prakash Singh Badal to win?
A) How can he win? How can I be helping him? I am going there to lose? You guys have very weird ideas. First you say you ' you should go and fight him and when I fight him you say you are helping him. How can I help a man I am opposing?
Q) How do you see Navjot Singh Sidhu is entry to the Congress party?
A) We are very happy to have him. First you ask ' when is he coming', then you say, ' what is he going to do?' I mean, he is going to do exactly what we are doing .
Q) Is Sidhu going to be made the Deputy Chief Minister?
A) That is for the Congress President to decide. I don't even know if I am going to be the chief minister, it’s for the president to decide.
Q) Why has the Congress party not declared its chief ministerial candidate?
A) We normally don't do it. It was never done in advance when I became the chief minister. Only in UP it was announced. Otherwise , in my election last time , it was announced only four days before. Whenever the Congress President thinks it is appropriate, she will make the announcement.
Q) Why have you never contested against Prakash Singh Badal before?
A) My reason this time is to defeat this joker (Badal ) and I am going to go and defeat him so that the whole of Punjab knows that a man like him cannot destroy the state and get away with it.
Q) You called Prakash Singh Badal a joker? What do you have to say about Arvind Kejriwal?
A) I think both are slippery customers. I have known Badal for a long time, I have seen this fellow now. They are both untrustworthy and slippery customers.
Q) In case you win both seats which one will you stick to?
A) I will decide that after I have won both.
Q) What do you have to say about your twitter exchange with Arvind Kejriwal? You call him a sneaky little fellow.
A) I called him a sneaky little fellow, now I call him a slippery little fellow.
Q) You have promised a job to one unemployed youth in every family if elected Is that a realistic promise?
A) While I am travelling, I cannot give you an explanation on everything. We have 55 lakh households in Punjab, we have promised a job in each; we have promised a smart phone in each, we have promised all our farmers we will take over their debt.