Manmohan Singh said the visionary document will "undo the damage" done by Akali Dal-BJP government
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today accused the Akali Dal-BJP government of "unprecedented mismanagement" of Punjab and urged people to return the Congress to power under the leadership of Amarinder Singh, popularly known as "captain".
"Under the BJP-Akali, resources were mismanaged in a manner which is unprecedented. Captain will set a path for a better tomorrow,"Dr Singh said in Chandigarh while releasing the Congress' manifesto for the February 4 Punjab election.
"He (Amarinder Singh) will make sure that people of Punjab will have good employment rate, infrastructure."
The former prime minister said Punjab's "tremendous all round potential" had not been exploited because of "mismanagement by the SAD-BJP government in the last 10 years."
The Congress manifesto, said Dr Singh, is a "visionary document" that pledges to "undo the damage done by the government in the last 10 years."
Dr Singh also spoke on the notes ban and said it would be an important issue in the Punjab polls. "It has been proven now that the country's GDP will be affected by demonetisation. National income unit of the CSO (Central Statistical Organisation) has come out with a statement that GDP growth will be 7.1 percent as against the target of 7.6 percent, but this does not take into account the effect of demonetisation," said the former prime minister.
Dr Singh described his party's Chief Ministerial candidate as a visionary leader and said the state needed a government under Amarinder Singh's leadership to develop and progress.
"Amarinder Singh's leadership is badly needed at this time because in him we have a leader of great vision...a leader who has a wealth of experience," he said, promising "better times" under Captain.
The party had taken six months to prepare the manifesto, said Amarinder Singh. "The team led by Rajinder Kaur Bhattal visited places across the State and all walks of life. The draft was also seen by Dr Singh," he said.