Opposition slams Punjab AAP govt over promises, says faltered on key issues

Congress took on the Bhagwant Mann government over its anti-corruption crusade, with Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa saying the helpline launched for it has remained shut for past few weeks

The opposition parties on Friday slammed the ruling AAP government in Punjab on the completion of its six months, accusing it of "selling" dreams to people while failing to fulfil promises.

The Congress took on the Bhagwant Mann government over its anti-corruption crusade, with Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa saying the helpline launched for it has remained shut for the past few weeks.

Addressing separate press conferences here, Punjab BJP President Ashwani Sharma and Bajwa hit out at the AAP government over non-fulfilment of promises and law and order.

Both Sharma and Bajwa said the AAP government's tall promises exist only in newspaper advertisements.

On the other hand, Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal said the AAP government faltered on key issues.

Referring to newspaper advertisements issued by the Punjab government on Friday, Bajwa said the Mann government immediately after coming to power sacked its own minister Vijay Singla for corruption on the basis of an audio clip, which is yet to be made public.

Now a different yardstick is being adopted in connection with another minister, in whose case too an audio clip has surfaced, he said.

Bajwa said this government has disappointed people who brought it to power with a massive mandate.

Sukhbir Singh Badal demanded an immediate release of Rs 1,500 per acre incentive promised to farmers for direct seeding of rice to save water, saying while the government is spending crores of rupees on front-page advertisements to make fake claims, it was denying farmers their just due.

"It is shocking that the government had come out with 'sada kamm bolda' advertisement when it is reneging on promises made to farmers besides refusing to come to their aid in case of any calamity and disease," Badal said.

Badal claimed while the government has kept Rs 700 crore for advertisements for this financial year, it did not release Rs 25 crore to farmers for the direct seeding of paddy.

Ashwani Sharma said, "They sold big dreams to people of Punjab but failed on all fronts. The chief minister should have presented his report card of six months but he is on a foreign jaunt."

"They promised to make Punjab vibrant and eliminate drug scourge. They said they will establish the rule of law in Punjab but today common people are living in a state of fear with increasing crime graph. Businessmen and traders are getting extortion calls," said Sharma.

He said earlier their minister Vijay Singla was sacked, now another audio clip of a conversation purportedly between Punjab minister Fauja Singh Sarari and one of his former close aides discussing ways to trap some contractors has surfaced on the internet.

"Who is honest and dishonest, only Arvind Kejriwal decides and gives certificate accordingly," said the BJP leader.

He said the AAP government has not given Rs 1,000 promised to women and only played with emotions of people.

"The Punjab liquor policy enacted by the government is a replica of the one they brought in Delhi, which they had to take back there," Sharma said.

He said they promised to open 16,000 mohalla clinics but only 100 came up so far.

"The so-called hype which was created by them the sand mafia will be curtailed and an honest transparent policy will be formulated has only proved to be a gimmick," Sharma said

Sharma said in the past six months, the government has borrowed Rs 12,000 crore and by the time they complete their tenure, Punjab will be under massive debt.