JALANDHAR: National Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with traders and businessmen in Jalandhar on Wednesday. AAP's national general secretary Dr Sandeep Pathak, Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora and Jalandhar's AAP candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu were present with Kejriwal in the meeting.
While addressing the program, Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the traders to make Aam Aadmi Party win all the 13 seats of Punjab in this election and said that right now Bhagwant Mann has to fight alone against the central government and the governor, these 13 MPs will become his strong hands and will fight for the rights of Punjab with him.
Kejriwal said that you gave a chance to all other parties. No one did anything for you and no one raised their voice for Punjab in the Parliament. After winning, everyone makes a deal with the central ministers for their own benefit. So this time make the Aam Aadmi Party win all the 13 seats. Bhagwant Mann and I, we will keep an eye on our MPs and make them work for Punjab.
Kejriwal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls the Arhtiyas middlemen and traders thieves. We consider you the backbone of our economy. We have great respect for you. He said that just as farmers and labourers are important for the development of the country, traders, businessmen and industrialists are also important. He said that you can guess how important you people are for me from the fact that the very next day after the Delhi elections were over, I first reached Ferozepur and held a meeting with traders there.
He said that I came to Punjab a year ago. At that time, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and I, we held meetings with traders for several hours in many cities including Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and I myself noted down their every problem. After my departure, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held business meetings several times and many problems of traders were resolved.
Kejriwal said that before our government was formed, the condition of industry in Punjab was very bad. Businessmen were leaving the state and going to other states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, but in the last two years, the trend of industries leaving the state has stopped and they have started coming back. The biggest reason for this is that the law and order situation in Punjab has improved a lot in the last two years.
He said that our government has ended corruption in Punjab, due to which a lot of government money is being saved now. With that money, we are giving free electricity to the people of Punjab. Today, 83 percent of the people of Punjab are getting zero electricity bills. Apart from this, we are building mohalla clinics at various places and improving the condition of government hospitals. At the same time, we are converting government schools into Schools of Eminence. All this is happening because our intentions are clear and we are working honestly.
He said that the central government is harassing Punjab. Punjab has a coal mine in Orissa, when we started bringing coal from there, the central government said that bring your coal to Punjab via Sri Lanka and Gujarat. When Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann opposed this, the central government gave a direct train to bring coal. If the direct train was not available, electricity in Punjab would have become two rupees more expensive.
Kejriwal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders have become extremely arrogant. Amit Shah has threatened the people of Punjab that after June 4, he will topple the AAP government of Punjab and remove Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He said that the people of Punjab are generous and brave people. They do not tolerate threats. If you had asked with love, they would have given you one or two seats, but now you will not get even one seat. This time the people of Punjab will answer your threat with their votes. Kejriwal said that it is God's grace that you gave 92 MLAs to the Aam Aadmi Party. If there were 60, these people would have toppled the government by now.
Kejriwal said that the BJP leaders have started considering Prime Minister Narendra Modi as God. Their national spokesperson Sambit Patra says that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Modi ji. Whereas Jagannath means Jagat ke Nath. That is, the one who does welfare of the whole world. Narendra Modi himself says that I was not born from my mother's womb. I have appeared directly. BJP's national president JP Nadda calls Narendra Modi the God of Gods.
Kejriwal said that Prime Minister Modi never talks about work, he always does politics of caste, religion and hatred. Instead of important issues like inflation, unemployment, hunger, poverty, education and medical care, he is asking for votes in the name of Hindu, Muslim, buffalo, goat and mangalsutra. He says that if you vote for the India Alliance, they will snatch away your buffalo and mangalsutra. Is this the language of God!
Kejriwal said that BJP has created dictatorship in the country. Elections were announced on 16 March and I was arrested on 21 March because Modi ji was afraid that if Kejriwal is not arrested, he will campaign around the country, which will reduce his seats. So put Kejriwal in jail. Thanks to the Supreme Court, they allowed me to campaign for 21 days, due to which I am here with you today.
Kejriwal said that just a few days ago Narendra Modi gave an interview to India TV's Rajat Sharma. Rajat Sharma asked the Prime Minister that there is no proof in the Delhi liquor scam, nor any recovery has been made, then how did corruption happen? In response to this, the Prime Minister said that Kejriwal is an experienced thief, so there is no proof. Kejriwal said that in fact no corruption has happened. If there had been, then where would the 100 crore rupees go? Why has not even a single rupee been recovered till now?
Kejriwal said that they say that we want 400 seats, Modi ji wants to do something big. When I enquired, I came to know that these people are demanding 400 seats to end the reservation. But I am fighting them. We will not let them end the reservation under any circumstances.