Punjab polls 2017: Manmohan Singh releases Congress' manifesto; Arvind Kejriwal says Delhi running party's state unit

The Congress hit top gear in poll bound Punjab on Monday as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released the party's manifesto for Punjab polls in New Delhi.

Congress manifesto for Punjab was released by the former PM at party headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of top state leaders including Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh and Randeep Surjewala.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday alleged that all Punjab Congress leaders are camping in Delhi for tickets. He also claimed that Delhi is running Punjab congress.

Here are the excerpts from Capt Amarinder Singh's press conference:

#We will pool land, purchased at market rates, which we will give to industries which guarantee jobs

#We will reduce power tariff to industry from Rs 7.60 down to Rs 5.00

#Will will provide affordable electricity. If we want industry to come to Punjab then we have to give a level playing field

#Drugs is the first thing we will attack and in 4 weeks we will end this drug menace in Punjab

#This will be overseen from Chief Minister's Office. Till jobs are available we will give Rs 2500 stipend to every youngster

#Drugs is the first thing we will attack and in 4 weeks we will end this drug menace in Punjab

#This will be overseen from Chief Minister's Office. Till jobs are available we will give Rs 2500 stipend to every youngster

#We have launched a programme, 'Har Ghar Mein Naukri', ie 55 lakh households in Punjab. We will monitor what jobs are needed

#We included a Re 1 cess per bottle of alcohol, which directly serviced our requirement to provide for social commitments

#We will manage this situation by thinking innovatively

#This ordinarily should be the job of the GoI. We are committed with doing away with farmer debt

#We will negotiate how we will service the debt & how we will repay the loan

#Rural Debt in Punjab is Rs 67,000 cr. We are planning to take over debt of every farmer & negotiate with banks

#Nevertheless, we have made a comprehensive manifesto. We have covered every facet of Punjab

#Some funds like Mandi Board have been mortgaged for 7 yrs

#We are taking over a deficit state. Govt is operating by selling land & mortgaging buildings, including old age homes

#We are taking over a deficit state. Govt is operating by selling land & mortgaging buildings, including old age homes

#After six months of preparation the Manifesto was prepared. This Draft was also seen by Dr Singh

#The Manifesto has taken 6 months. The team led by Rajinder Kaur Bhattal visited places across the State & all walks of life

#The Manifesto is being launched in Chandigarh & 5 other cities in Punjab as well

Here are the excerpts from Manmohan Singh's press conference in New Delhi-

#Capt Amarinder's Govt will undo all this damage & set a new pathway for a better tomorrow which will see that people will have a higher per-capita Income, better distribution of Income, better employment prospects & better infrastructure

#The fiscal situation in Punjab under the SAD-BJP Govt has been mismanaged in a manner which is unprecedented

#This better tomorrow will see development of the State both in the Economy & management of the polity

#I believe that Punjab is in for better times under the leadership of Capt Amarinder

#Capt Amarinder's commitment to the cause of development of Punjab is unrivaled

#In Capt Amarinder we have a leader who has a wealth of experience

#Capt Amarinder Singh's leadership is badly needed at this time because in him we have a leader of great vision

#It points to tremendous potential of the State in terms of Agriculture, Manufacturing, Services, Infrastructure, Social Services, in all these areas the present set up has not been able to make adequate use of the potential that exists in Punjab

#This Election Manifesto is a forward looking visionary doc., which promises the people that we will undo the damage done to the Punjab economy by the State Govt in the last ten years

#The challenge before Punjab is to rise above all this din & recognise that the people of Punjab need a better tomorrow

#Earlier also Punjab was a victim of terrorism. And it has inflicted great deal of damage on the economy & polity of Punjab

#Election manifesto is visionary doc that promises to people of Punjab that we'll undo damage done by previous Govt in last 10 yrs

#Punjab is a State with tremendous unexploited potential. This potential has not been exploited because of mismanagement

On Tuesday, the Congress is also expecting the high profile joining of ex BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is likely to contest assembly elections in the state.

Various measures for the welfare of farmers, dalits and other sections of society are likely to be promised in the manifesto which the party has been working on for many months now.