Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Strong leaders don't beg for constituencies: Amarinder takes dig at Jaitley

March 24, 2014 19:11 IST

Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Amarinder Singh took a dig at BJP nominee Arun Jaitley for his 'majboor' (helpless)-and-'mazboot' (strong)- leader remarks, saying strong leaders "do not go begging for constituencies to secure their secret prime ministerial ambitions".

Amarinder claimed in a statement that it was already established as to who was helpless and who was a strong leader from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

He was reacting to a reported comment of Jaitley claiming himself to be a "strong" leader while describing Amarinder as a "helpless" leader).

"Mazboot netas do not go begging for constituencies to secure their secret ambitions", Amarinder said in a statement referring to what he described as "secret Prime Ministerial ambitions" of Jaitley.

Referring to Jaitley’s statement on Sunday, Amarinder asked him (Jaitley) if he was really so strong, then why it took him 40 years to find a constituency to contest the elections.

"Had you been so strong, you won’t need to make backdoor entries (referring to Rajya Sabha route) to parliament because strong leaders don’t use backdoors", Amarinder said adding "it is you who is helpless and not me".

"I understand your ambitions to somehow get elected to the Lok Sabha with the obvious intentions but I am sorry to tell you that you chose a wrong constituency by trusting a man like Parkash Singh Badal (Chief Minister)", he told the BJP candidate adding, "you must have realised what it means to trust Badal who has simply used you in order to get rid of Navjot Singh Sidhu (three times BJP MP from Amritsar)".

Amarinder accused Jaitley of double standards for criticising his own senior party colleague Jaswant Singh.

"While you desperately came to contest from Amritsar of which you do not even know 'A', you have been opposing Jaswant Singh’s genuine claims for Barmer," Amarinder said.

Image: Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Amarinder Singh

Follow the latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections 

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.