Amritsar: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal has said that his party will announce its chief ministerial candidates for the upcoming assembly election in Punjab before the Congress or the BJP.
Asked when would AAP announce its chief ministerial candidate, Kejriwal said, “Parties either declare the CM candidate or they don't. The parties which declare CM candidate do so at close to the polls.” “So far, the Congress has not declared their candidate. They are not saying whether Sidhu or (Sukhjinder) Randhwa will be the choice or Channi will continue,” he said.
“In Uttar Pradesh too, no one knows who will be BJP's CM candidate. In Uttrakhand and Goa too, there is a similar situation,” Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference in Amritsar.
The AAP chief while evading a direct reply on his party's chief ministerial candidate in Punjab said, “I want to assure you that (in Punjab) we will do it before others.” Kejriwal also made it clear that he is “not a chief ministerial candidate for Punjab” and that he said this earlier too.
The AAP chief praised Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu for raising public welfare issues but claimed he faced suppression from both the present and former chief ministers of his party in the state.
On a two-day visit to Punjab, the Delhi Chief Minister also claimed that about 25 Congress MLAs and two-three MPs from the state are in touch with his party, seeking to join it, but, he said, “We do not take garbage from other parties.”
“I praise Sidhu for his courage,” Kejriwal said, adding the Punjab Congress president had corrected state Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi when the latter claimed that sand was being sold to the public at Rs 5 per cubic feet.
“Sidhu told the chief minister that it was still being sold at Rs 20 per cubic feet,” said Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Kejriwal. He said Sidhu has always been raising issues of public interest, but he was earlier suppressed by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and is now being suppressed by Channi.
Kejriwal also hit out at Channi, who became chief minister in September after the unceremonious exit of Amarinder Singh, alleging that he has not fulfilled till now any of his promises to people, like that of giving free electricity or building mohalla clinics.
On being asked about a couple of Punjab's AAP leaders joining the Congress ahead of the state assembly polls, Kejriwal shot back, “About 25 Congress MLAs and two-three of their MPs are in touch with us to join our party.”
“Many from the Congress are also in our contact, but we don't take their kachra (garbage). If we start taking their kachra, 25 of their MLAs will join our party by evening, but we don't have to get into this competition.”
Kejriwal had on Monday promised to transfer Rs 1,000 per month into the account of every woman in Punjab if AAP is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls. The Delhi chief minister had made the promise while dubbing Chief Minister Channi as a "fake Kejriwal".
Asked from where the AAP will generate funds to meet his promise, Kejriwal asserted, “I was listening to statements of Channi and other leaders that Punjab's coffers are empty.” “Who did it? They were in power for five years and looted it. Earlier, for 10 years the SAD-led government was in power and they too used to say the same thing,” retorted Kejriwal.
Kejriwal, meanwhile, held a meeting with traders and industrialists and assured them of creating a business-friendly atmosphere in the state, if AAP is voted to power. During his meeting with businessmen and industrialists, Kejriwal unveiled his plan to launch a “Mission Punjab”, incorporating AAP's ‘seven guarantees’ aimed at revolutionising business, trade, commerce and industrial development of the state.
These guarantees included setting up of a commission, abolishing ‘inspector raj', fixing VAT refunds, ensuring power supply, setting up of a Punjab Bazaar portal, improving the state's law and order and construction and development of focal points.
Talking about the Punjab government's school education system, Kejriwal dubbed the plight of government schools and teachers in Punjab as dismal. He gave eight ‘guarantees’ to teachers for comprehensive education reform in Punjab and promised that these guarantees would be implemented on a priority basis if an AAP government is formed in 2022.
Kejriwal also called upon all teachers to join the AAP's campaign to transform Punjab's government school education system like that of Delhi.
(With Agency Inputs)
