At a meeting with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs from Punjab at Kapurthala House in Delhi alongside Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, Party’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal asserted that Punjab is witnessing pro-incumbency even after four years in government. He asserted that the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government is drawing widespread public support. The AAP Chief also launched a sharp attack on the BJP over vote deletion and addition, “stolen” Rajya Sabha seats, and denial of Punjab’s rightful dues.
Addressing the AAP MLAs from Punjab who reached Kapurthala House after submitting a memorandum to the President, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “It has been four years since our government was formed, and ten months are left for the elections. In the final year before elections, it is very rare for people to praise a government. Usually after four years, people say there is strong anti-incumbency. But in Punjab, you can go to any village or any locality, and today there is no anti-incumbency, instead there is pro-incumbency. People openly and wholeheartedly praise the Punjab government and say it is doing very good work.”
Highlighting development works, he shared, “The kind of work that is happening, is unprecedented. Around 44,000 kilometres of roads are being constructed, out of which 9,000 kilometres have already been completed, and a large portion will be completed by the end of June, with the rest following soon after. Such roads have never been built in Punjab before. Roads are being constructed in every street and every lane in cities and villages alike.”
Speaking about sports infrastructure, Arvind Kejriwal continued, “Just recently, 250 excellent sports grounds have been developed in villages. Punjab has produced some of the best players in the country, even when governments did not support them. Now such high-quality sports grounds are being built in every village. Around 3,000 villages will have excellent grounds and 6,000 villages will have standard grounds, ensuring that every child has a place to play.”
He further listed, “All the dirty ponds have been cleaned, irrigation water is being provided to every field, and farmers are now receiving electricity during the day instead of having to wake up at 3 in the morning for irrigation. Electricity has been made free, insurance cover of ₹10 lakh has been provided, and soon money will start being deposited into the accounts of women. There are so many works being done that even I cannot recall all of them. Earlier governments always said the treasury is empty and there is no money, but we never said that because this is an honest government working with integrity.”
Raising concerns over democracy, the AAP Chief said, “Across the country, a major crisis has emerged. The BJP has hijacked democracy and destroyed it. Even if a party wins an election, it does not matter to them. They use agencies like ED and CBI, money power, horse trade MLAs, break parties, topple governments, send leaders to jail, get votes deleted and added. What happened in West Bengal recently was not an election, we have been witnessing what has been happening there for months. The same has been done in Bihar, Maharashtra, and even in my own New Delhi constituency.”
“In the New Delhi assembly constituency, before I went to jail there were 1,48,000 votes, and when I returned only 1,06,000 votes remained. Around 42,000 votes were deleted in six months. I had won the previous election by 30,000 votes, but after 42,000 votes were deleted, I lost by 3,000 votes. How can anyone win when all the votes are deleted? This is happening across the country and democracy is under threat, the democracy for which our martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose and other freedom fighters sacrificed their lives,” he emphasised.
Recalling past elections, the former Delhi CM added, “Remember 2014 when there was a wave in favour of Narendra Modi. After forming the government in May 2014, they kept winning elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Wherever elections were held, they kept winning continuously. Then came February 2015 and in the Delhi elections, the BJP won only three out of seventy seats.”
“There is a story in the Ramayana about the Ashwamedha horse released by Lord Ram, which would claim any land it passed through. It is said that Luv and Kush stopped that horse in Amritsar. Similarly, the people of Delhi stopped that Ashwamedha horse. The BJP’s winning streak was like that horse moving forward, and it was the people of Delhi and the Aam Aadmi Party who stopped it,” he further added.
Arvind Kejriwal asserted, “Once again a wave is building. They are winning everywhere, in Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Delhi. But in the upcoming Punjab elections next February, this Ashwamedha horse will be stopped, and after the Punjab elections, the Modi government will fall. The end of the Modi government will come through Punjab.”
Addressing the AAP Punjab MLAs, he said, “You will win Punjab, the people of Punjab will win, but hard work will be required. You will have to go door to door and explain that the BJP hates Punjab and Punjabis. Despite having full power at the Centre, they have done nothing for Punjab. They could have given double funds through RDF and supported Punjab in many ways, but instead they are snatching even what rightfully belongs to Punjabis.”
Warning about consequences, he continued, “They are saying that if they form the government, they will give Punjab’s water to Haryana, hand over Bhakra Dam to Haryana, give Chandigarh to Haryana, transfer Panjab University to Haryana, and implement the three ‘black’ farm laws in Punjab. We must tell people that if the BJP forms a government in Punjab, they will destroy the state.”
“Whenever India was attacked, the attack came from the west and Punjab stood as a shield, shedding its blood to stop invaders. But this time, an enemy has emerged from within, and the people of Punjab will stop it. With all their strength, they will fight to restore democracy and uphold the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. This is the responsibility of all of us, of Punjab and of Punjabis,” the AAP Supremo asserted.
Arvind Kejriwal concluded by stating, “The seven people who left have gone via theft, the BJP has stolen them. These six Rajya Sabha seats belonged to the people of Punjab. It is not possible that two MLAs can justify six seats. The BJP has robbed the people of Punjab of these six Rajya Sabha seats, and this will be responded to in the coming February elections.”
Taking to X, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated: “Today, I interacted with our MLAs from Punjab. The entire Aam Aadmi Party remains committed to defeating anti-democratic forces in the interest of the nation. On the strength of its outstanding work, the Punjab Government continues to remain popular even in its final year. In the upcoming elections, the people of Punjab will stop the BJP’s Ashwamedha horse and ensure the victory of democracy.”
