Under Modi’s leadership, Punjab too will become the number one state
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini on Monday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of indulging in “election-time freebie politics,” claiming that people in the state are disillusioned with the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and have made up their minds to bring about a change in power in the next Assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference here today, Saini said that people in Punjab are increasingly disillusioned with the policies of the ruling AAP government and are now looking for an alternative ahead of the next polls. Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shyam Singh Rana was also present on this occasion.
Responding to the Punjab government’s budget announcement of providing Rs 1,500 to women from the SC category and Rs 1,000 to other women, the Chief Minister said the AAP government is making such promises with the upcoming Assembly elections in mind. However, he asserted that these announcements would not benefit the party politically as the people of Punjab had already decided to bring about a change in government.
Saini said that whether it was the earlier Congress governments or the present AAP regime, both had a history of making populist promises and distributing “freebies” during elections. Taking a swipe at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said that Arvind Kejriwal too used to make attractive announcements during elections and claimed that the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab would face a similar outcome in the next Assembly polls.
The Chief Minister said that whenever people from Punjab meet him, they complain that the state government is creating hurdles in implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme launched by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. As a result, many eligible beneficiaries are unable to avail the scheme’s benefits.
The Chief Minister said it is truly unfortunate that the government led by Bhagwant Mann has many times attempted to obstruct programmes during his recent visit to Punjab. He said that whenever the Punjab Chief Minister visits Haryana, he is always accorded full respect in accordance with the protocol due to a Chief Minister.
Saini further expressed concern over the reported use of tear gas on women employees who were protesting for their rights on the occasion of International Women’s Day, and termed the incident as deeply unfortunate. He said such actions send an inappropriate message, especially on a day dedicated to recognising and respecting the contributions and rights of women.
He said, in contrast, the Haryana government organised a state-level programme in Sirsa and transferred benefits worth crores of rupees directly into the bank accounts of women beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
Targeting the Punjab government over its policy on old-age pensions, Saini said the Bhagwant Mann government had set an annual income limit of Rs 60,000 for eligibility, which he described as an injustice to poor elderly citizens by depriving them of the pension benefit. In comparison, he said Haryana had fixed the income limit at Rs 3 lakh to ensure that more senior citizens could avail the Old Age Samman Allowance.
The Chief Minister reiterated that people in Punjab were increasingly disillusioned with the AAP government and had resolved to bring the BJP to power in the next Assembly elections. He expressed confidence that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab too would emerge as a number one state in terms of development, on the lines of Haryana.
Saini further condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly not giving due respect to the President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, during her recent visit to West Bengal, stating that the country’s highest constitutional office deserves the utmost respect from everyone. He also congratulated the Indian team on its victory in the T20 World Cup and wished all the players a bright future.