The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday held a ‘Shanti March’ in Punjab's Patiala and targeted ruling Congress over the sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple earlier this month.
This comes days after the state witnessed several tragic incidents like sacrilege at Amritsar and blast in Ludhiana court complex.
Addressing the crowd gathered at the 'Shanti march', Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said, that "anti-Punjab elements" have activated in the state ahead
of crucial polls.
"There was a sacrilege attempt at Sri Darbar Sahib. Who is the mastermind behind this heinous crime? Why hasn't he been apprehended yet?" Kejriwal questioned, adding that the
administration had requested 48 hours. "It's been ten days, and no progress has been made."
“A few days later, an explosion at Ludhiana's court complex rocked the state. Anti-Punjab elements behind blast are not apprehended yet," Kejriwal said as he recalled the
2017 blast at Maur Mandi.
Talking about the 2015 sacrilege cases, Kejriwal remarked that "If the government had punished those who committed beadbi then, no one would have dared to do that again." Several
attempts are been made to disrupt the law and order, and peace in the state, he added.
Kejriwal slammed Chief Minister Channi's Congress government, saying that if "left in the hands of such leaders, Punjab will be destroyed."
"3 crore Punjabis have to unite and stop such forces," he added.
The Delhi CM labelled the Channi government as the weakest of all prior governments and said, "top Congress leaders are fighting for CM's chair. They do not care about Punjab or
people of Punjab."
Channi government has failed to maintain peace in the state, he concluded.
Bhagwant Mann, a senior AAP leader, accompanied Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Shanti March in Patiala today. Raghav Chadha and Harpal Singh Cheema were also present.
Mann, on the other hand, remained in the centre of the spotlight. This indicates that Bhagwant Mann could be the party's Chief Ministerial candidate in the Punjab elections of 2022.
The party, however, has yet to confirm this.
Kejriwal is in Punjab for a three-day tour that began on Thursday and will conclude on Saturday.
With his recent visits to Punjab, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has effectively taken control of the Aam Aadmi Party's election campaign in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly elections.
AAP was the second-largest party in Punjab in the 2017 elections, winning 20 of the total 117 seats. This time, the AAP's senior leaders are focusing on Punjab intending to capture power
in the northern state.
The party has already managed to dethrone BJP in the state capital Chandigarh. Rejoicing AAP’s win in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections held a few days ago, the party has
asserted “it is just a trailer. Punjab mein picture abhi baki hai.”