By IANS,
Chandigarh : Punjab Congress president and former chief minister Amarinder Singh Friday welcomed the announcement by social activist Anna Hazare to come to Punjab to campaign against corruption but asked him to verify the credentials of the parties and leaders for whose support he would come.
Talking to reporters at Faridkot town, 300 km from here, Amarinder Singh said: “Anna is welcome to Punjab but he must verify the reputation of the Badals and their government, who are claiming to host him here, lest it tarnishes his own image.”
“After all it is the question of Anna’s credibility as well, as which type of people he is going to support, and I am sure he cannot support the people who are identified as most corrupt people in Punjab,” he remarked.
Regarding claims by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Chief Minister son Sukhbir Badal that Hazare would be coming to Punjab in their support, he observed: “Once Anna Hazare learns about the enormity of corruption the Badals have indulged in he will never come to support them.”
He said: “Anna-ji is a crusader against corruption and I am sure before embarking upon any programme to support the Badals he will examine and verify their credentials and once he learns how corrupt they are it will be difficult for him to support them.”
Hazare had this week said that he will visit the five states, including Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are scheduled, to campaign against the Congress as it was not bringing the Jan Lokpal bill in parliament.
Assembly elections to 117 seats in Punjab are scheduled February-March next year.