Amit Shah ‘threatened to topple’ AAP govt in Punjab: Arvind Kejriwal
At a rally on Sunday, Shah asked people to ensure victory of BJP’s Lok Sabha candidates in Punjab and said that “Bhagwant Mann government will not last long”.
national convener and Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused Union home minister Amit Shah of threatening to topple the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab after the Lok Sabha polls.
At an election rally in Ludhiana on Sunday, Shah had asked people to ensure the victory of BJP’s Lok Sabha candidates in Punjab and said that “the Bhagwant Mann government will not last long after the BJP’s victory”.
In Amritsar to address traders and businessmen, Kejriwal said: “What Shah meant to say was that after June 4, they will topple the Punjab government by buying or breaking the AAP MLAs. But Punjabis have a big heart. If you ask them for something with love, they will give it to you, but if you threaten them, they will not let you even enter Punjab.”
“We have 92 seats (MLAs). How can you topple the government? There is a dictatorship in the country,” Kejriwal said and alleged that the BJP leaders were openly saying that they would threaten the legislators with the CBI and the ED and then “buy” them.
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Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who was addressing a rally in Abohar, slammed Shah over his remarks and said: “Are you coming to Punjab to seek votes or threaten to topple the government?”
‘BJP wants to stop free electricity’
Addressing reporters in Bathinda, the AAP national convener said the only intention of such a threatening tone by Shah is to end the scheme of free 600 units of electricity introduced by the AAP government in Punjab. “We experience a similar attitude (of Shah and Modi) towards the Delhi government. The BJP wants to curtail free power. We appeal to the electorate of Punjab to ensure the victory of all 13 Lok Sabha candidates of the AAP to enjoy the benefit of free electricity,” said Kejriwal, while addressing reporters in Bathinda.
Launching an attack on the Narendra Modi-led central government, Kejriwal said the situation in the country will become like that in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia if the BJP is again voted to power.
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Kejriwal said today the country’s constitution and democracy are in danger due to the BJP’s “dictatorship”. He said Modi wants to create an India which there is only one party and one leader.
Hits out at BJP over ‘Lord Jagannath’ remark
Hitting out at the BJP over the party’s Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra’s ‘Lord Jagannath’ remark, he said: “Sambit Patra says Lord Jagannath is Modi’s ‘bhakt’. They have become so arrogant that they have started considering that Modi is above even God.” Patra had later clarified that it was a slip of tongue and he wanted to mean that the Prime Minister was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath.
The AAP leader said the BJP wants to win 400+ seats to end reservation for backward classes and Scheduled Castes. “But we will not let them end the reservation under any circumstances”, he said.
‘Centre withholding Punjab’s funds’
Kejriwal also slammed the BJP-led government for withholding ₹8,500 crore of Punjab’s share of funds, including ₹5,500 crore of rural development fund. “They are indulging in hooliganism and there is dictatorship. There should be no politics over development,” he said.
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“Make us strong at the Centre by giving us all 13 seats of Punjab so that we can get the pending funds of Punjab released,” he said.
The AAP supremo said by terming duly elected Punjab government as ‘urban Naxal’ Modi tried to undermine the electorate.
On the occasion, the Punjab CM said charged the BJP with indulging in communal polarisation to get votes.
‘Don’t vote for ‘teesri’ party’
Campaigning for party candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu in Jalandhar, Kejriwal cautioned the people against voting for the BJP, SAD and ‘teesri’ party, without naming the Congress. The AAP and Congress are partners in the INDIA bloc, and are fighting together in neighbouring Haryana and Delhi, but not in Punjab.
“A vote for the BJP and Akali Dal will be a waste. Even voting for teesri party will not benefit you,” Kejriwal said.
Targeting the central government, he said after the announcement of elections, PM Modi sent him to jail as he was afraid that if Kejriwal campaigns across the country, the BJP will suffer a loss.
During a roadshow in support of party candidate Ashok Parashar Pappi in Ludhiana, Kejriwal said the Centre was conspiring to scrap the schemes initiated by the AAP in Punjab and Delhi.
