Chandigarh, March 6
Thousands of Congress workers from across Punjab today staged a massive demonstration against the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party government for its failure to fulfill its commitments to the people. The party specially mentioned the promise of Rs 1000 every month to women, which has not been kept and demanded that the government should pay it with four year arrears. The party leaders rapped the government for its comprehensive failure, particularly on the collapse of law and order and the economy in the state.
The Congress had planned to ‘gherao’ the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the first day of the Budget Session. The party workers had gathered outside the Congress Bhawan before marching towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. However, they were detained by the Police and prevented from reaching the Vidhan Sabha, which had been heavily guarded like a garrison. A massive contingent of police had been deployed at the venue of the gathering to prevent the Congress workers from reaching the Vidhan Sabha.
Addressing the workers, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that the government and the Chief Minister had completely failed. He pointed out, the state debt had crossed Rs four lakh crores and was likely to touch Rs 4.17 lakh crores very soon. He said, not a single penny was spent in Punjab and it was squandered by the Aam Aadmi Party to fight its elections in the states like Delhi, Gujarat and Goa. He pointed out, not a single brick had been laid down anywhere for infrastructure. He said, thousands of crores of rupees had been spent on advertisements only.
The PCC president reminded the AAP about its promises of Rs 1000 monthly stipend to women, revival of the old pension scheme for employees, the pending DA, claims of generating Rs 20,000 crore revenue from sand mining. He said, people of Punjab are now seeking answers after four years of the AAP’s misrule. The PCC president referred to the deteriorating law and order in the state while pointing out how criminals and gangsters were killing people with impunity and with no fear of law. Nobody is feeling safe in Punjab today, he said, while adding, the Punjab government had failed to protect the lives of people.
In an informal interaction with reporters, Warring said , “Law and order has collapsed completely in Punjab. Bombs are being hurled, statue of Babasaheb was vandalised. Drug menace is a big issue in the state. We are protesting against all these issues”. Suggesting a tacit understanding between the AAP and the BJP, he said, they have formed an alliance to prevent the Congress from returning to power. There has been a secret agreement between Kejriwal and BJP, he added.
Expressing his gratitude to the party workers, Warring said, the success of today’s programme would not have been possible without their support. He said, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress was honoring and rewarding the party workers at the grassroots level. He pointed out how a District Congress Committee president from Himachal Pradesh had been nominated for the Rajya Sabha elections. He promised that once the Congress forms government in Punjab, he will request the party high command to nominate 3 block presidents and 2 district presidents from the state for Rajya Sabha.
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also addressed the protest and lashed out at the comprehensive failure of the AAP government and the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
