Baisakhi at Damdama Sahib might signify fun, fair and devotion for the Punjabis, but the occasion, which is considered most auspicious in the region, had only one connotation for the politicians-rival bashing. With a full-fledged political agenda, heavily-loaded with political bashing, the two main parties of Punjab, SAD and Congress, used the occasion of Baisakhi at Talwandi Sabo, as another platform to fire salvos at each other before the electoral battle actually begins. Both political parties left no stone unturned to outshine their opponents in their show of strength at their political conferences.
Private vehicles, tractor-trolleys, tempos and buses were seen transporting people from far-flung areas to the respective rallies as political hangover threatened to hijack religious fervour at this fifth temporal seat of Sikhs, Takht Damdama Sahib. Highly confident of returning to power in the next assembly elections, Congress leaders, led by Amarinder Singh, on Thursday gave a call to the party rank and file to throw Akalis out of power to ensure proper development and welfare of all people in the state.
While Congress leaders accused Akalis of "unbridled corruption" in the state, SAD patron and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, on their part, slammed Congress led UPA government for "rampant corruption in the country". Religion figured in their speeches by way of religious hymns from Guru Granth Sahib, but that too, only to paint their opponents as "anti-social, antireligious persons''.
Seeking a return to power on the poll plank of development, SAD claimed that the state was on "fast track development and people thus need to vote for the party to maintain this tempo of development''. Former Congress CM Amarinder, however, asserted that the Akalis "had lost the confidence of people as they had not done anything during their four years rule, except for victimizing political opponents and robbing the state of its assets''.
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