Alliance with BJP in national, state's interest: Capt Amarinder Singh

Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Tuesday said that his party Punjab Lok Congress' alliance with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Sanyukt is in "national and state's interest".

"Punjab faces multiple challenges, particularly on security and economic front. I found the BJP as the only party that can take care of both things," he said at a public rally here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit to Ferozepur in Punjab on January 5.
"I know PM Modi for a long time and he is concerned about Punjab and the people in the state. He understands Punjab very well," Amarinder Singh said.

Appealing to people to support the alliance, he urged them to ensure that they cast their vote in the interest of the state and the country.

He lashed out at the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and said that they are making promises which cannot be fulfilled.

"The cumulative debt of Punjab is already about Rs 5 lakh crores and I do not know where from Sidhu and Kejriwal will get the money to support their schemes," he said.

Captain Amarinder said a few weeks back he had written to the Prime Minister seeking a special Rs one lakh crore package for Punjab for agriculture diversification which could be given over a period of five years, Rs 20,000 crores every year.

He said this can be specifically used for encouraging and promoting the cultivation of pulses as India imported pulses worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore every year.

"If we grow pulses here, we can save enormous foreign exchange besides saving water table that is fast depleting due to the widespread cultivation of paddy," he added.

Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) and Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress has formed a six member-committee to decide on seat sharing.

(ANI)