Be ready for another defeat, Punjab CM tells Sukhbir

Chandigarh, Oct 20 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday asked Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to be ready for another drubbing at the hands of voters in Monday's four by-elections in the state.

Reacting to Sukhbir's allegations of no development work under the Congress regime, the Chief Minister said the state knew that the Akalis had done nothing but ruin it in their 10-year misrule.

"You (Sukhbir) don't even know the meaning of development," said Singh pointing out that his government had done more in 2.5 years than the SAD-BJP had done in a decade.

By spreading falsehoods, the Akali leader was only trying to divert attention from his government's failures, said the Chief Minister. The people of Punjab had rejected the Akali lies repeatedly since the 2017 Assembly polls and were set to do that again, he added.

Expressing surprise at Sukhbir's interpretation of his comments on referendum on his government's performance, the Chief Minister wondered at the Akali logic of interpreting every election as a referendum.

"My government needs no referendum to endorse the work done by it in the past two and a half years, and the work it continues to do for welfare of people and the state," he said.

Polling for four Assembly by-elections will begin on Monday morning. The counting of ballots will be held on October 24.

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