Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati, addressing the first political rally ahead of February 20 polls on Tuesday, described the Congress party’s decision to make Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi its chief ministerial face in Punjab as a desperate attempt to revive its sinking fortunes in the State.
“Congress only remembers Dalits at the time of elections. Once the elections are over, they will sideline Channi who is even now being remote-controlled from Delhi,” said BSP supremo, addressing a large gathering along with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Asking Channi to understand why he had been promoted in the party, Mayawati said that the Congress party had a past history of using the Dalit community during elections. “It would have been better and more befitting if Channi had taken the blessings of Guru Ravidas ji after being appointed the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Congress party....I appeal to the Ravidas samaj to make Channi realise the value of Guru Ravidas ji”, she added.
Expressing confidence that the SAD-BSP alliance would sweep the polls, she said: “We all have to work unitedly to install Sukhbir Badal as the next chief minister of the State.”
BSP chief said that she was confident that with Sukhbir as the next chief minister, special schemes would be launched to bring in all round improvement in the life of the weaker sections of society.
“Congress party is dying a natural death across the country and its days are numbered in Punjab... BJP is also on its way out....People realize that the BJP has a corporate mindset and will make it meet the same fate as the Congress party,” she said.
Taking on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mayawati said that the people should see the conditions in Delhi before thinking of reposing faith in AAP in Punjab. “AAP Government had forced lakhs of people to leave Delhi during Covid pandemic. It failed to look after its own citizens...The state of hospitals is there for all to see. Even the claims of cheap power are false and have been thoroughly exposed,” she added.
SAD chief Sukhbir said that after Mayawati’s visit to Punjab, the SAD-BSP tsunami was set to sweep the State. “Punjabis felt cheated by the Congress party which has done nothing and wasted five years by scrapping or curtailing all social welfare benefits given to Punjabis by Parkash Singh Badal — be it scrapping blue cards or curtailing old-age pension and shagun scheme,” he said, adding that similarly, Punjabis could not trust AAP which had an anti-Punjab agenda.
Sukhbir announced the establishment of Baba Ambedkar University at Doaba Belt and Kanshi Ram Medical University in Punjab; besides restoring all blue cards, which had been deleted by the Congress Government, within one month of formation of SAD-BSP Government.
SAD chief also announced that Rs 2,000 per month would be given to the woman head of below poverty line families, all consumers would be given 400 units of power free of cost, Rs 10 lakh medical insurance cover to all and students will be eligible for Rs 10 lakh loan for higher studies besides 33 percent reservation in technical institutions (Government school students).
Sukhbir further declared that all those who did not have a home would be given a five-marla plot of land and that a 500-bed medical college would be established in every district of the State.