BJP will end reservation if assumes power once again: Bajwa
Amritsar: Senior Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday lambasted BJP for its malicious agenda to change the Constitution of India. “The present Constitution, which was written under the worthy leadership of Dr BR Ambedkar, will be scrapped if the BJP comes to power for the third time. If this happens, the people of this country will be deprived of the reservation and the system of social justice,” said Bajwa, addressing the media in Amritsar along with party candidate Gurjit Singh Aujla, and the state party affairs in-charge Devendra Yadav. Bajwa slammed the BJP for launching the Agniveer scheme for the army recruitments by disbanding the previous army recruitment system, describing it as an attack on the tradition of the Punjab, which used to send its youngsters to the army. Bajwa said that if the Congress manages to form the government, it will nullify the Agniveer scheme and the old army recruitment process will be relaunched. “Despite the promise, the AAP government did not provide Rs 1000 per month to women over the age of 18. Meanwhile, if comes to power, the Congress resolves to launch a Mahalakshmi Scheme to provide Rs one lakh per year to every poor family in the country as an unconditional cash transfer. We will reserve 50 per cent of Central Government jobs for women starting in 2025,” he said.
In a jolt to SAD, AAP gains more strength in Patiala
Chandigarh: AAP’s Punjab unit got a major boost in Patiala ahead of Lok Sabha elections with SAD’s national vice-president Surjit Singh Ablowal coming to the party fold in presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Patiala urban MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli, and Cabinet Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra. Ablowal leaving Akali Dal Badal is definitely a big loss for the party and his arrival in AAP will strengthen party candidate Dr Balbir Singh’s position in Patiala.
Coming from student politics, Ablowal was vice president of Punjab Student Union in 1980, district president of Sikh Student Federation in 1986, national vice president of Youth Akali Dal in 1997, national general secretary and national senior vice-president of Youth Akali Dal, SAD’s working committee member (twice), Punjab State Seed Corporation chairman during SAD-led Government’s tenure (2007-2012); Punjab Tourism Development Corporation’s chairman under SAD-led coalition government (2012-2017).
Mann said that there is an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity in the Akali leadership from top to bottom. “The people of Punjab or the Akali Dal workers do not have any trust in SAD-Badal. When there is uncertainty and distrust among the people of any party, they cannot win. Now the people of Punjab do not have faith in the Akali Dal, they are finished,” he added.
Worry about your leaders, not us; Half of Punjab Cong is already in BJP: AAP
Chandigarh: AAP’s Punjab unit on Thursday clapped back at Congress MLA Pargat Singh for misleading the people of Punjab by saying that AAP will join the BJP. Terming Pargat Singh’s statement as “weird and irresponsible”, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said that this is AAP which has always opposed BJP’s dictatorship, and has opposed their anti-democratic activities. “Many of our leaders are in jail because of opposing the BJP and Narendra Modi. Our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is in jail under a false case against him…We are fighting this fight to save our democracy and Constitution,” he said.
Hitting back at Pargat Singh for even doubting AAP’s intentions, Garg said that today, “60 per cent of Congress in Punjab has already gone to BJP, your former president is now the president of Punjab BJP, your former Chief Minister is in BJP today. Many of BJP candidates in this Lok Sabha elections have come from the Congress. Your current Leader of Opposition, his brother who was once a Minister in Punjab, is also in the BJP today”.
