Congress, Akalis and AAP clash in Punjab ahead of polls

On a day of two big rallies and a protest, the three main players in Punjab politics - the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - traded political barbs against one another on Sunday.

The highlight of the day was the ruling Congress holding its political rally in Lambi, the village of SAD seniormost leader and five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the SAD returning the favour by holding a rally in Patiala town, the hometown of Congress Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

The AAP held a protest march on Sunday from Kotkapura town to Bargari village in Faridkot village to protest against incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and the Punjab Police firing in October 2015 on those protesting against the sacrilege incidents.

Congress leaders, in their speeches at the Lambi rally, targeted the Akali Dal and particularly the Badal family for the incidents of sacrilege of the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, in 2015 when the SAD-BJP government was in power in Punjab.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar, Ministers and Congress legislators were present at the rally along with thousands of party supporters.

In Patiala, Badal senior and his son and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the Congress had failed to deliver on any of the tall promises of loan waiver to farmers, jobs to every family in Punjab, eradication of drugs and providing mobile phones to youth.

The Akali Dal's 'Jabar Virodh' rally was held to highlight the failures of the Amarinder government and the alleged repression let loose on the Akali Dal and BJP leaders and workers by the Congress government.

(With inputs from agencies.)