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Punjab govts have been outsourced in last 30 years: Sidhu
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu
Congress to go without chief ministers’ face in five State polls
New Delhi: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday criticised all the previous governments in the state, which includes the Congress governments also.
He said that in the past 30 years the government has been outsourced in the state. "A Political narrative without a People driven agenda is hollowness, a diversion tactic. It's important to bring back People of Punjab at the Core of this Election. In the last 30 yrs the Heart & Mind of the Govt. has been outsourced & consolidated in a few rooms & powerful hands," he said in his tweet.
He attacked all the past chief ministers, which includes those from the Congress as well, including Beant Singh, Harcharan Singh Brar and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal apart from Amarinder Singh, who left the Congress recently.
Sidhu often takes potshots at his own Chief Ministers and has been on an announcing spree during his election meetings. He last week announced a slew of incentives for women by promising that 33 per cent of all jobs under the Punjab Urban Employment Guarantee Mission would be reserved for them.
Also all women working as farm labourers in small farms would get wages under the MGNREGA, besides special women commando battalions for women safety in every village and city of Punjab.
Sidhu promised Rs 2,000 per month for women homemakers, if the Congress is voted to power. Also he promised eight free cooking gas cylinders in a year to women. he Congress has decided to go without declaring the chief ministerial face despite having incumbent face in Punjab as a chief minister.
Sources in the Congress say that it will only be decided after the results and Congress legislative party will decide the new leader with the consent of the high command, except at few occasions the party does not project a chief minister's face.
The Congress leaders in Punjab and Uttarakhand want that Chief Ministers should be projected. Supporters of Harish Rawat, former CM and Navjot Singh Sidhu, Punjab Congress chief want to be projected as Chief Minister's face. But party says it will not take risk to alienate other factions ahead of polls.
The Congress faces major challenge of retaining power in Punjab, and to come up with a credible show against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is top choice of the party in UP, but it's unlikely that anyone could be projected as CM though party has very less chance in the state compared to other election going states.
