Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said various welfare schemes, including free electricity, cashless health cover, cash aid for women and free food grains, will come to an end if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was not voted back to power in the coming assembly elections.
Event Context
Addressing a public rally in Khichchian village, which was organised by Sarbjot Singh Sabi, who recently joined the AAP, Mann said no other political party was serious about Punjab’s welfare.
Mann said neither the Congress nor the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deserved a chance to rule Punjab as these parties had done nothing for the state’s people during their regimes.
“Sukhbir Singh Badal is now pleading for another chance, but why should people oblige him when he did nothing substantive? They are desperate to gain power only for their personal interests. They looted more than the Britishers did,” he alleged, adding that those who “orchestrated or overlooked sacrilege incidents” would not be pardoned.
Taking on the Congress, Mann said the people of Punjab had a solution to the long-standing infighting within the Congress, which their high command was finding hard to resolve.
Stating that the fight was over the post of chief minister, he said every Congress leader wanted to wrest that seat.
“Do not give them enough seats in the coming assembly elections. When they won’t have requisite number of seats, how will they stake claim to the government and gain the chief minister’s chair?” he remarked.
Dismissing the Congress’ proposed bus yatra in Punjab to be flagged off by Rahul Gandhi, Mann quipped that while all Congress leaders might board the bus together, they would not complete the journey without getting into a fight.
“Rahul would do well to send a few people along to prevent a punch-up on the bus,” he said in a jibe.
Assuring people that AAP’s welfare schemes will continue till the party remained in power in Punjab, the chief minister promised to set up a medical college in Mukerian provided requisite land was given for it. He also assured upgrade of the Mukerian and Hajipur civil hospitals.
