Chandigarh, March 11, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) started its Lok Sabha election campaign named ‘Sansad Cha Vi Bhagwant Maan, Khushhal Punjab Te Vadhegi Shaan’ (Bhagwant Mann in Parliament too, means Prosperous Punjab and more glory) in Punjab.
A party function was organized in Mohali on Monday where AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann officially launched the campaign.
The AAP Punjab Working President Principal Budh Ram, General Secretary Harchand Singh Barsat, all ministers and MLAs of the AAP government were present in this programme. Thousands of AAP workers and party office bearers of all districts also participated in the function.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appealed to the people of Punjab to give the Aam Aadmi Party all the 13 seats in the state and said that when all the MPs of the state are ours, then the Central Government won’t be able to stop the funds of Punjab.
Mann said that I have to fight alone with the Central Government and the Governor. If 13 MPs win then our hands will be strengthened and courage will be increased.
Mann assured Arvind Kejriwal that we will win 13 out of 13 seats and put them in your bag. He said that in 2014, when the Aam Aadmi Party was contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, four MPs of the party won, reached the Lok Sabha and all of them were from Punjab.
He said that we are working day and night for the progress of the people of Punjab. After the formation of the government on March 16, 2022, not a single day has passed when we did not go to the people.
We bought a thermal plant. Functioning our own coal mine. Gave more than 42000 government jobs. Providing free electricity. Built Schools of Eminence and Mohalla Clinics. Started a pilgrimage scheme for old people.
One crore rupees ex-gratia to the families of the martyrs. Agniveer soldiers, whom the Central Government does not even consider as martyrs, we are also giving Rs 1 crore to their families. Apart from this, many unnecessary NOCs were abolished for the convenience of common people and businessmen.
Mann also attacked the BJP and the central government. He said that the BJP knows that it cannot win in Punjab so they hate Punjab. They do not want Punjab to progress. They try to harass us through the Governor.
The Central Government is withholding funds worth Rs 8500 crore of Punjab. Five and a half thousand crores is of RDF (Rural Development Fund), which is used to build mandis and the roads connected to them, is also being withheld.
Mann also attacked former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and said that it was because of his mistake that this money is not being released. Last time when RDF money came, they did not use it to build mandis and roads.
With this money he paid the loan installments. That is why the Center withheld the money and said that the funds were being misused.
We passed a proposal for this that this money will be used only for the mandis and only on the works related to the roads leading to the mandis. Still the central government is not releasing the funds.
The Center is comparing the mandis of Punjab with those of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while they have mandis at 50-100 kilometers, but in Punjab there is a mandi at every 5 kilometers.
Mann also attacked Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal and Akali leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa. He said that these people have not gathered to save Punjab or the panth. These families have come together to save themselves.
Now the people of Punjab are not going to give them any importance. On Sukhbir Badal’s Punjab Bachao Yatra, Mann said that his journey is only for the chair and family. It had nothing to do with the people and Punjab.
