The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Affairs co-in-charge and MLA Raghav Chadha said the new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has forgotten his claim in which he had said that 'either Channi will remain or corruption will be there'; as by including tainted ministers in the cabinet, he has made it clear that the Congress cannot change its character and corruption and Channi will go hand in hand. “Because, the Congress and corruption are two sides of the same coin,” he added.
Addressing a press conference at Jalandhar Press Club on Tuesday, Raghav Chadha said the inclusion of ministers Rana Gurjit Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Gurkirat Singh Kotli in the cabinet is clear that the Congress has changed only 'Ali Baba' but the thieves are still there. Taking a jibe, Chadha said it is clear from this that the biscuit is the old one; only its packet has been changed. He said Channi had stated of not meeting the mining mafia after taking over as the Chief Minister; but by making Rana Gurjit Singh, who is surrounded by other big allegations including mining mafia and corruption, sit along with him in the cabinet; has proved that appearances are deceptive.
According to Chadha, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Channi have again brought Rana Gurjit Singh in the cabinet and proved that corruption is not going to go from Punjab in the Congress rule. Raghav Chadha said that Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has long aspired to become the Chief Minister of Punjab, had stated to eliminate the mining mafia running on share-basis; but was it all a fight for the chair? The people of Punjab demand an answer and Navjot Sidhu should clarify his stand on the inclusion of Rana Gurjit in the cabinet, he said.
The AAP leader further said that there are allegations against Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu of causing loss of thousands of crores to Punjab with its link to the mandi mafia. Chadha said minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli is also facing allegations of sexual assault on a French woman; but by including all these ministers in the cabinet, it is clear that the Congress wants to loot Punjab. Raghav Chadha said the change of Chief Minister just a few months before the elections was only misleading the people of Punjab. He said the Congress has an old habit of doing such dramas.
Chadha said the Congress has only changed the captain of the ship, but the people of Punjab have made up their mind to change the entire ship; because the Congress has no concern with the farmers-labourers and traders, who are the backbone of Punjab along with any other section. He said the farmers’ families in Punjab are facing the wrath of pink bollworms. The farmers of Malwa belt in particular have been hit hard by the pink bollworm infestation.
Chadha said Chief Minister Channi has seen the plight of the farmers himself but despite this, the Channi government has not announced any compensation amount for the farmers. He demanded that Chief Minister Channi should give a compensation amount of Rs 75,000 per acre to every affected farmer and provide relief to the farm laborer by giving a compensation amount of Rs 25,000 and learn from the Kejriwal government of Delhi.
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On the occasion, AAP MLA Prof Baljinder Kaur, Women Wing state president Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, district president Olympian Surinder Singh Sodhi, Principal Prem Kumar, Balkar Singh, Harcharan Singh Sandhu, Dr Sanjeev Sharma, Dr Shiv Dayal Mali, Amritpal Singh, Ramneek Randhawa, Subhash Sharma, Suleman Bahru, Gaurav Puri among others were present.