New Delhi: With the former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh releasing the Punjab election manifesto on Monday, it was clear that the Congress intends to “use” him extensively during the poll campaign in the state. Besides being a prominent Sikh face, the party feels that Dr Singh’s views on demonetisation has struck a chord with the people, particularly in the rural Punjab.
The manifesto promised a host of freebies like farm loan waiver and free power, smartphones, doles to unemployed youth and fight against drug abuse.
Apart from Delhi, the manifesto was released in five cities including Chandigarh. Congress is clearly leaving no stone unturned for the crucial Punjab Assembly elections with pushing in three of the state’s big faces in the campaign.
While Amarinder Singh is the party face for the polls, both Dr Singh and former cricketer and former BJP man, Navjot Singh Sidhu would be zipping across punjab.
Encashing on the ‘Sikh pride’, the Congress strategists felt that Dr Singh’s campaigning co-uld also sway the Jat Sikh voters away from the Akali Dal and at the same time impact educated voters in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amrtisar.
