Amarinder's remarks ravings of a frustrated mind: Shiromani Akali Dal

The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab today termed former chief minister Amarinder Singh's criticism of a state committee on resource mobilisation as the outbursts of a frustrated man trying to retrieve his lost relevance in state politics.

"These are ravings of a frustrated mind and an attempt to salvage his (Amarinder's) lost relevance in state politics", SAD general secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said in a statement here.

Criticising the Sukhbir Singh Badal-Manoranjan Kalia committee on resource mobilisation yesterday, Amarinder had said the new taxes recommended by it would burden every section of society.

"Resource mobilisation does not come from over taxing people," he had said.

However, Dhindsa claimed that the real audience sought by Amarinder was not the people of Punjab "but the Congress high command in Delhi whom he wanted to impress by showing
that he could go to more irrational extents in criticising Parkash Singh Badal's government than other partymen."
  
"Their competitive  politicking is the only reason behind such statements", Dhindsa said.

The Akali leader accused the former cm of having stabbed the Punjab farmers in the back by asking them to foot power bills and reverting back to SAD's policy of free power to them only after imminent electoral defeat stared him in the face.