PM offers Punjab Cong-UPA deal

Patiala: The people of Punjab will gain if they return the state Congress government to power, as it can work with the UPA government for development, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.

"Give majority to the Congress in the Assembly and put a stamp that people want development. There is a lot of scope for textile, sports, garment and leather industry in Punjab," he said at an election rally in Patiala, the constituency of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Singh didn’t name the Opposition BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance, but said: "While the biggest fight for the Congress is to eradicate poverty and unemployment, some communal forces always tried to divide the community on the basis of religion and caste."

If people compare the performance of Akali Dal and Congress governments they "will come to know who speaks the truth and who is a liar."

Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal, when he was the chief minister, hadn’t scrapped the loans given by the Centre to fight militancy. The UPA government has taken steps to get the loans waived off, he said.

The Punjab government will gain Rs 5,000 crore when the loans are waived off and the money would be utilised for education, infrastructure, roads and health.

"The youth of Punjab will no longer need to go abroad in search of greener pastures and employment," Singh said.

"The UPA still have two to three years at the Centre and if the Congress returns to Power in Punjab, it will change the shape of the state on the developmental front."

Punjab must step up industrialisation to end poverty and unemployment. "This can be achieved only if the government in the state and the Centre work in unison and close coordination.”

Praising Amarinder for his "far-sighted approach", Singh said there has been a cent percent increase in cotton production in the state in the past five years.

"The income of farmers in the state has also shown a substantial increase during Amarinder's regime," he said at the Polo Grounds in Patiala where the Chief Minister will fight elections against Akali Dal leader Surjit Singh Kohli.