As the loud dhol beats and slogans reverberated the New Delhi’s IGI Airport, hundreds of NRIs, donning Aam Aadmi Party’s T-shirt travelled from across the seas to AAP, in the Punjab Assembly polls.
The first batch of 180 Punjabi NRIs from Canada, donning AAP’s t-shirts arrived in Punjab on Thursday, with the second batch from UK all set to land on January 24.
“We have come to Punjab to ensure defeat of SAD-BJP alliance and Congress. Congress is not an alternative but a substitute of the present corrupt regime of Badal family,” said Surinder Mavi, Chalo Punjab campaign’s convener in Toronto, who led the first batch.
He gave a call to defeat SAD and Congress to save Punjab from mafia rule. “AAP is the only and last hope for people of Punjab,” he added.
Delhi Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and party’s Overseas convener Kumar Vishwas gave a warm welcome to the NRIs at IGI Airport, while AAP’s national general secretary Sanjay Singh and Kanwar Sandhu welcomed them at Chandigarh.
Mavi said: “We have seen in Canada how a good government can change the lives of people. Presently, there is no democracy and rule of law in Punjab. Only one family of Badals is ruling and common people are suffering in the hands of this family.”
He said unfortunately, Punjab was plagued by many evils like drugs, corruption, crime, mining and transport mafia during the ten years rule of Badal family. “The gang wars in Punjab are very disturbing phenomena and present government allowed law and order to go out of hand. One complete generation of Punjab has been ruined as thousands of Punjabi youth is addicted to drugs. If timely steps were not taken, anarchy would prevail in the State,” he said.
AAP’s youth wing convener in Canada Joban Randhawa said that NRIs would work hard to get rid of the present SAD-BJP government. “We will spread into constituencies in Doaba and will target Majitha, the constituency of Bikram Singh Majithia, who controls the drug trade,” he said.
Randhawa added that people of Punjab had seen Capt Amarinder Singh’s government from 2002 to 2007 and it was during his time, trend of drugs became available in Punjab.
He claimed that over 35,000 NRIs have enrolled for ‘Chalo Punjab’ movement in Canada and most of them would reach Punjab and remaining would extend their support from abroad.
Rajesh Sharma from UK, who left his job and family for AAP, said that he wished people of Punjab enjoy the same facilities as they are availing abroad.