AAP says Congress, BJP and Akali Dal have joined hands to target Bhagwant Mann
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab on Sunday accused the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal of acting together to target Chief Minister Bhagwant
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab on Sunday accused the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal of acting together to target Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, claiming the opposition parties had no answer to the state government's performance. Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu alleged that the three parties had become "Teams A, B and C", with the sole objective of attacking the Mann government. He described the Congress as "directionless" and claimed it was preoccupied with internal power struggles. Read Full Story Pannu also claimed that the Congress and the BJP were working in coordination in Punjab. Taking a swipe at the BJP, he said it had become an extension of the Congress in the state as many of its present leaders were former members of the grand old party, while the BJP's original leadership had been sidelined.
Referring to senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa's recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Pannu said the political significance of the deliberations was evident despite Randhawa's explanation. Highlighting the AAP government's work, Pannu claimed that canal water had reached tail-end villages for the first time in decades and around 90 per cent of households in the state were receiving zero electricity bills under the scheme providing 600 units of free power. He said farmers were also getting uninterrupted daytime electricity and canal water. He further claimed that more than 34 lakh women had started receiving the financial assistance promised by the AAP government, and said the remaining eligible beneficiaries would get the benefit from August 1.
He accused the Congress of depending entirely on its high command for decisions, while noting that the opposition party had earlier criticised the AAP by saying it was controlled from New Delhi. Pannu said the opposition should explain its own functioning before targeting the ruling party. He claimed that the Congress, BJP and SAD had no vision or roadmap for Punjab's development and were unable to accept the work done by the AAP government. He also said previous governments in Punjab had failed to provide benefits such as free electricity, canal water for farmers, financial assistance for women and cashless healthcare of up to Rs 10 lakh. Pannu further claimed that political bargaining between the Congress and the BJP was already underway in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls, and that several Congress leaders were set to join the saffron party.
The BriefWire