It was the battle of titans before elections in Punjab on Monday. The supremos of three major political parties — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress national president Rahul Gandhi, and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal — campaigned in the border state for their respective party candidates for May 19 elections.
While Modi addressed a rally in Bathinda in support of SAD-BJP combine candidate and the Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Rahul Gandhi addressed two rallies in a day at Khanna and Hoshiarpur earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister held a road show in Sangrur Lok Sabha seat in the support of party candidate and sitting MP Bhagwant Mann, which would be followed by series of road shows in other crucial seats in the next four days of campaigning.
Besides, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would address a rally in Pathankot on Tuesday, while Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address another rally at bargari in Faridkot on Wednesday.
PITRODA'S REMARKS “SHAMEFUL”: RAHUL
Congress national president Rahul Gandhi on Minday made it clear that senior party leader Sam Pitroda “must apologise” for his “hua to hua” remark in the context of 1984 riots.
Knowing the importance of 1984 riots issue in a Sikh state, Rahul minced no words while lashing out at the Overseas Indian Congress president Pitroda saying that he should be “ashamed” of his comments.
Rahul, who was addressing a rally in the support of party nominees from Jalandhar Santokh Singh Chaudhary, Fatehgarh Sahib Dr Amar Singh, and Hoshiarpur Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal at Khanna’s Gaggar Majra village in Fatehgarh Sahib constituency, said that he had asked Pitroda to apologise publically for his remarks.
“I had personally called up Pitroda to demand an unequivocal apology, which the people of India wanted and deserved for his controversial remarks,” he said.
Notably, Pitroda, who is considered a close aide of the Congress president, said of the 1984 riots in a recent interview: “What happened, happened. Why talk about that now? Talk about what you’ve (BJP) has done in the last five years”. Pitroda’s remarks drew widespread condemnation, and left the Congress party red-faced.
At the same time, Rahul declared that those guilty of 1984 riots, which were “totally wrong and tragic”, should and will be punished.
Unleashing a tirade against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his unabashed lies and the deceit perpetuated against the people in the last five years, Rahul Gandhi termed 2019 polls an ideological fight between false promises and realistic commitments.
“Modi and his BJP has cheated the people of India with their lies and false propaganda, while Congress has always remained true to its promises,” he said.
He maintained that the Congress’ proposed NYAY (nyunatam aay yojna) scheme would be a surgical strike on the poverty in the country.
Pointing to the shocking figures of unemployment, which stood at its worst in 45 years, Rahul said that the Congress party’s NYAY scheme will not only ensure Rs 72,000 for the five crore families a year, for the next five years, but will also ensure employment to youth and improved business for shopkeepers as well as small and medium sized traders by increasing the purchasing power of the people. “NYAY will give employment to those who were rendered jobless by the demonetization,” he promised.
Taking Modi head-on, Rahul said: “This chowkidar has been exposed, the people know the truth about him and he can no longer escape for perpetrating theft of their hard-earned money with demonetization and GST, and for diverting Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani with the Rafale defence deal.”
He said that Modi had “looted the common people, through his ill-conceived demonetization and Gabbar Singh Tax (GST—goods and services tax) and given their hard-earned money to Ambani, Malya, Chowksi and Nirav Modi”.
Declaring the Congress party’s commitment to protecting the farmers’ interests, Rahul pointed out that the Congress had waived off loans within two days of coming power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Rahul said that the party would not stop here if elected to the Centre but would ensure that farmers get due price for their crops, with the promised separate budget to ensure the same.
Expressing happiness over the large number of women party workers at the Hoshiarpur rally, Rahul promised 35 percent reservation for women in government jobs at the national level, as well in state assemblies, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
KEJRIWAL SHOWN BLACK FLAGS DURING ROAD SHOW
Sangrur: Black flags greeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as he launched the Aam Aadmi Party’s election campaign in Punjab on Monday by campaigning for party’s Sangrur candidate and state party unit Bhagwant Mann.
The protesters shouted slogans against him for “defaming” the State over drugs and asked him to go back. “In the last Lok Sabha elections, Kejriwal had said that Punjab is a drug haven and its youth are drug addicts. Later, he had tendered an unconditional apology to ex-minister Bikram Singh Majithia for levelling charges of his involvement in the drug trade,” said a protester Gurinder Singh.
“Instead of tendering an apology to Majithia, he should have apologised to the people of Punjab for consistently and continuously lying to them,” he added.
MODI WOOS DEBT-HIT FARMERS PROMISING DOUBLING THEIR INCOME BY 2028 IN BATHINDA
Bathinda: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday promised the debt-ridden Punjab farmers of doubling their income by 2028 while campaigning in favour of SAD-BJP combine candidate and the Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Bathinda.
That is why, the NDA government is directly depositing money in the farmers’ account,” he said while adding that the Government would also provide Rs five lakh for the poor families to get their treatment under the Ayush Yojna.
After Congress chief Rahul Gandhi criticised party’s senior leader Sam Pitroda for his comments on 1984 Sikh riots while addressing rally at Fatehgarh Sahib, Modi slammed him for “pretending to scold” his own mentor.
“Naamdaar you pretended to scold your mentor for what? Because he publicly said what had always been in Congress’ heart? It’s you who should be ashamed,” said Modi.
At the same time, Modi blamed the Congress party for doing injustivce with the riot-hit victims. “It has been 35 years since the 1984 riots. Because of the Congress’ deeds, the compensation that the victims deserved to get was denied to them. The Congress only formed committees and commissions and continued to dismiss the matter of compensation,” he said.
Coming down heavily on the Congress, Modi said that the party is struggling to get 40 seats across the country, and its “leaders are confused and their thinking is defused”.
Taking on the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Modi said that he made false promises of debt waiver with the farmers and duped them. “The farmers and the people are fed up with the Congress, but the BJP promises to the people that they will fulfill all the promises made to the people,” he said.