Akali-AAP have ganged up to malign me: Amarinder

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Monday alleged a “secret nexus” between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to “malign him” as both the parties see a “common enemy” in him.

“The two political parties seem to have ganged up together to malign me as they see a common and formidable enemy in me”, he remarked.

“Otherwise how come AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal got to know much in advance about the contents of the secret and sealed vigilance bureau report submitted to the Mohali court on Friday last which has to be opened on the next date of hearing on October 25?” he asked in a statement.

He said both the political parties were using the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) case, which was filed out of sheer “political vendetta” against him by the Badal family. 

“Since they (Akalis and AAP) do not have anything to say against me, they are using this case which the whole world knows was filed out of sheer political vendetta”, he added. Amarinder said both the parties had a reason to malign him as he has been “getting the public response from across Punjab” during his programmes. 

“Moreover, the survey reports of all political parties including the Akalis and the AAP have put us (Congress) far ahead of others and that is why they have started finding a common cause against me”, he remarked.

Punjab Vigilance Bureau had booked Amarinder and others on September 11, 2008, in an alleged land scandal involving AIT which was later taken by a builder. The PCC president said he was not bothered about contents of the vigilance bureau report.

“I have been fighting the vigilance bureau and its Akali bosses for last ten years and I don’t mind fighting them for another ten years more, but what has surprised me is the confidence with which Kejriwal claims that the bureau was closing the case against me”, he said.