Chandigarh: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s “undue” affect on the Bhagwant Mann cupboard in Punjab, whereas wrapping up the state leg of the celebration’s outreach march, the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Gandhi took an oblique dig at Kejriwal aide and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s appointment because the chairman of the Punjab authorities’s advisory panel, saying Chief Minister Mann must be allowed to run “Punjab from Punjab”, and never by distant management.
He stated “RC” — referring to the acronym used amongst forms and politicians in Punjab for the Rajya Sabha MP — meant the “RC” of distant management..
The Congress chief additionally accused the Aam Aadmi Social gathering of utilizing Punjab’s cash to pay for ads within the recently-concluded Gujarat elections. “This isn’t proper. Bhagwant Mann was with us within the Lok Sabha. He’s not like Arvind Kejriwal. I like Bhagwant Mann and I wish to inform him that Punjab must be run from Punjab,” Gandhi instructed a gathering at Pathankot Thursday.
Punjabis are distinctive, Gandhi stated, including, “You’ve got your individual language, a wealthy historical past and Gurus who’ve proven you the trail. That’s my path too. I additionally bow my head earlier than them and have learnt loads.”
Berating arch rivals the BJP, Gandhi stated the Congress-led coalition UPA had ruled with schemes aimed toward decreasing the insecurities of individuals. “BJP schemes solely result in elevated concern among the many individuals. Demonetisation elevated concern among the many poor, excessive GST led to concern amongst small industrialists and merchants. The crop insurance coverage scheme scared farmers.”
“The three farm legal guidelines additionally generated concern amongst farmers, individuals who start their work at 4 within the morning and proceed via the day. Equally, the Agniveer scheme generated concern among the many armed forces,” Gandhi added.
“When you fill the individuals with concern, it’s straightforward to unfold hatred and that’s what the BJP does,” he stated.
He touched upon his oft-repeated reproof that the BJP has “looted the individuals’s onerous work and handed it over to a handful of multimillionaires in India. In return, these multimillionaires market the BJP within the media and that’s the reason you see Modi’s image in all places round you.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had rattled the BJP.
“First they pooh-poohed the potential for such a yatra and now they’re nervous about its success. They held a two-day assembly and as a substitute of discussing nationwide points, together with the safety of the nation, they solely debated how one can win elections within the subsequent 400 days,” Kharge stated.
He referred to as the BJP a celebration of thieves. “They’ve stolen 5 states from us the place the individuals voted Congress to energy. The BJP is rarely nervous concerning the nation or its individuals. Their solely concern is to win elections and stay in energy.”
Throughout the rally, Punjab Congress leaders unitedly requested Gandhi to not enable “outsiders” to run the present.
State Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring stated politicians who’ve left different events and joined the Congress couldn’t be trusted. “Solely those that have Congress blood in them must be entrusted with accountable duties,” Warring stated. Former cupboard minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa seconded Warring’s assertion.
Chief of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa hailed Rahul Gandhi as the subsequent Prime Minister. He stated if Gandhi leads the nation, he shouldn’t hand over the reins to another person. “A proxy rule,” he stated, was not acceptable anymore.
Bajwa additionally hit out at former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal who resigned from the Congress Wednesday and joined the BJP. “As finance minister, he first ruined the Shiromani Akali Dal, then the Congress and now he’ll do the identical to the BJP,” Bajwa stated.
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