In a long-anticipated move today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has signalled the upcoming formalisation of the BJP’s tie-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal and splinter Akali Dal factions by saying that Punjab this time is set to have an NDA coalition government.Speaking at the launch of development projects in Delhi, Shah said: “Punjab mein is baar NDA ki sarkar honey jaa rahi hai (Punjab this time is set to install an NDA government).”The Tribune was the first to break that plans are under way for SAD and Akali Dal Punar Surjit factions to join the NDA and their nominees will contest on the symbols of one another.Read: ‘Will decide when the time comes’: Nitin Nabin signals BJP-Akali alliance not a closed chapterPunar Surjit part of BJP-SAD pre-poll talks; NDA induction of Akali factions being exploredShah’s statement is a formalisation of that arrangement which is expected to be announced anytime now.Former Punjab BJP chief Jattvibeil Jakhar has been among the most steadfast supporters of an alliance of BJP and Akalis for the upcoming polls. Back room talks have been on for long as The Tribune has been reporting.Shah also launched a sharp attack on the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party today, predicting that the Congress would remain out of power for another 30 years because of its “negative politics” and warning AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal that voters would “root out” his party’s government in Punjab.Speaking at a gathering in Dwarka, Shah accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of raising allegations of “vote theft” to protect what he described as the vote bank of infiltrators. He also dismissed the Congress’s repeated questioning of the Election Commission of India’s neutrality, saying the party accepts the poll panel when it wins and blames it when it loses.“I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that you want to save the votes of infiltrators by levelling allegations of vote theft,” Shah said, arguing that the Congress had remained out of government in several states for decades, well before Narendra Modi became Prime Minister.He added that the Congress’s electoral prospects would remain bleak because of its approach. “The way you are pursuing negative politics… you will not be able to win elections even in the next 30 years,” Shah said. “Where you win, the Election Commission is doing well, but whenever you lose, the Election Commission is deemed faulty.” He added that the Congress’s “turn” would not come even in 2030.Turning to Kejriwal, Shah accused the former Delhi chief minister of relying on agitations and protests while failing to address basic civic problems in the capital. “The people will give you a befitting reply by rooting out the AAP government from Punjab,” he said.Shah specifically referred to Delhi’s landfill sites, saying Kejriwal had done nothing to remove the “towering heaps of garbage”. He said the Centre was working to clear the dumps and that they would soon be transformed into public gardens.The political attacks came alongside the launch and foundation-laying of 43 Delhi Jal Board projects worth Rs 8,941 crore, aimed at wastewater treatment, drinking-water infrastructure and the rejuvenation of the Yamuna.Shah described the projects as the “backbone” of the Yamuna’s purification and said they represented more than 40 per cent of the journey towards the goal of cleaning the river.He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had convened a major meeting within the first month of the Delhi government’s formation to present his vision for cleaning the Yamuna to the Delhi government and the Ministry of Home Affairs.“Today, these projects, worth around Rs 9,000 crore and encompassing both the treatment of wastewater and various initiatives related to drinking water, are being inaugurated and initiated through groundbreaking ceremonies,” Shah said, crediting Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Minister Pravesh Verma for the work.