By Bir Devinder Singh
Sukhbir Singh Badal, President SAD and Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab is so much baffled on the appointment of Capt. Amarinder Singh as PPCC President that he has even forgotten the age of his own father who is approaching 90.
While taking a jibe at 70 year old Capt. Amarinder Singh, Badal Jr. described him as a lion too old; unmindful of the stark fact that his dear father is presently 88+ and shouldering the burden of “Progressive Punjab”. Sukhbir Badal should first relieve his over burdened father-the “worn out ox” of SAD, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal of the responsibilities he is shouldering beyond his capacity considering his infirmity. In that light Capt. Amarinder Singh is much younger than Parkash Singh Badal and certainly more capable, agile and better positioned to rebuild Punjab from the ruins of the state that remain after 9 years of Akali pest.
Whatever may be the frustration of Sukhbir Badal he must learn to exercise civility in political discourse, while sneering at Former Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on account of age he actually derided his more aged, 88+ father to extreme embarrassment. I wish to remind Mr. Sukhbir Badal of 1998 when they lost by-election of Adampur to Congress under the leadership of Capt. Amarinder Singh. Mind you Mr. Sukhbir Singh your father was the Chief Minister in 1997 and you were the Union Minister for Industries but you both failed miserably to retain your seat in the by-election. Not only this, you had also lost power in 2002 to Congress under the leadership of Capt. Amarinder Singh who further annexed the Amritsar lok Sabha seat from Akali-BJP combine with an impressive margin. Capt. Amarinder Singh has accepted your challenge for Bhatinda Rally and we shall soon meet in the political battle ground at Bhatinda which would prove to be a ‘Waterloo’ for SAD led by you.