With electioneering gaining momentum for the Assembly polls in Punjab, leaders of key political parties — the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party — were actively campaigning on Thursday.
While Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who has been aggressively raising Congress party’s baton in the campaign in Ludhiana, launched a tirade on the Aam Aadmi Party, the AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Lambi, the bastion of Shiromani Akali Dal, urged people to give “AAP a chance”. In Pathankot, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal was seen pushing the region card to garner support.
Accusing Mr. Arvind Kejriwal of being a hypocrite, Mr. Channi urged the people to remain cautious from “his [Mr. Kejriwal’s] nefarious plans to grab power.” “Kejriwal’s promises are a bundle of lies which varies from State to State. In Punjab he is promising allowance worth ₹1,000 to women every month but in Goa the same allowance promised by him is ₹5,000. It is the dubious character of Kejriwal and company,” he said.
On the other hand, the State Government is making strenuous efforts for the well-being of every strata of society, he said. “No stone is being left unturned for the well-being of the common man,” he said.
‘Corrupt, hypocritical’
In Lambi, Mr. Kejriwal called the Congress Government the most corrupt and hypocritical Government in the history of Punjab and accused Mr. Channi of making a mockery of the Government. “Punjab should decide for itself whether it needs a puppet Government or a pro-people Government to build schools and hospitals. You have given opportunities to Congress for 25 years and SAD-BJP for 20 years and tried their governance many times. Give us [Aam Aadmi Party] a chance in 2022,” he said.
Commenting on the ongoing factionalism in the Congress, Mr. Kejriwal said: “Navjot Sidhu is fighting with Chief Minister Channi, Sunil Jakhar is fighting with Navjot Sidhu, Partap Singh Bajwa is fighting with Jakhar. In fact, they are all fighting to plunder Punjab because they know that the Congress Government is leaving in a few days. All the Congressmen are looting Punjab beyond limits,” he said.
In Pathankot, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said Akali Dal was the only party for Punjabis, and it would defeat all their opponents. “Punjabis will not let outsiders govern them and will impose trust in the SAD, which represents regional aspirations. Just like Mamata Banerjee was successful in West Bengal, we will defeat all the three forces pitted against us to emerge victorious in 2022,” he said.
“Empty chairs at events presided over by the Chief Minister were a testament to the popularity of both Channi and the Congress party. The countdown of the Congress has started and so has their frustration due to which there is infighting,” he said.
Hitting out at Mr. Kejriwal, he said: “The drama being enacted by Mr. Kejriwal promising ₹1,000 per month to all women of the State had not cut ice in Punjab. Punjabis are asking why not even one woman in Delhi has received ₹1,000 a month till now? Similarly, while Mr. Kejriwal was talking about regularising contractual employees in Punjab, his Government had not regularised 10,000 contractual employees of Delhi for years.”