Punjab News Daily
Chandigarh, January 8

In a strong political message, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann met newly elected Zila Parishad and Block Samiti members and asserted that Punjab has decisively broken away from the era of fear, goondagardi and manipulated elections, while announcing that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will now launch a full-scale war against gangsters on the lines of the ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’.

Citing AAP’s sweeping victory of over 70 percent seats in the Panchayat polls as a mandate for clean politics and honest governance, the AAP Chief said Punjab had witnessed the cleanest local body elections in its history, with not even a single vote shifted, while CM Bhagwant Singh Mann underlined that pro-people governance had forced traditional parties to rewrite their manifestos.

On the issue related to Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he would certainly appear before the Takht with all facts and requested that the proceedings be telecast live on all channels. “I will appear there not as a Chief Minister, but as a humble and devout Sikh. Sri Akal Takht Sahib is sacred for every Sikh and is the highest temporal seat of our community. Even though the President of the country will be visiting Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, I will still ensure my presence before Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” he said.

He unequivocally asserted that for him, Sri Akal Takht Sahib Ji is above everything. “Any order received from there will be obeyed in true letter and spirit. The command of Sri Akal Takht Sahib was, is and will always remain supreme for me and my family. It is a highly revered place from where Sikhs derive divine peace and strength,” Bhagwant Singh Mann said.

Addressing the gathering of the elected representatives in Ludhiana, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, “First of all, I congratulate all of you who have been elected in such large numbers as members of the District Councils and Block Committees. You must be happy today because the people have entrusted you with a new responsibility. It is a matter of great pride that in these elections, the AAP has won more than 70 percent of the total seats. These are your party’s seats.”

Recalling the past, the AAP Supremo said that traditionally, Panchayat elections were won by the ruling party through force and manipulation. “In 2013, Panchayat elections were held one year after the government was formed. In 2018 as well, elections were held one year after the government came to power in 2017. Despite that, there was rampant booth capturing, goondagardi and coercion, and only then did they win,” he said.

Contrasting that with the present, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “Today, after four years of our government, elections for Block Committees and District Councils were held and not even the slightest coercion was done. Look at the results. There are more than 600 seats where candidates won by less than 100 votes. Out of these, more than 350 seats were won by the opposition. There are many seats where Congress or Akali Dal candidates won by just one vote. Have you ever heard that a ruling party candidate lost by one vote?”

He added that if the AAP wanted to misuse power, it would have been very easy. “If we wanted to indulge in coercion, we could have just called the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and got our candidate declared elected. Shifting one vote here or there is not difficult. But we did not do that. We did not come into politics for this. The AAP was not formed to do coercion, corruption or goondaism. If that was the goal, then what difference would remain between us and Congress, BJP or Akali Dal? We came to change politics, to clean politics, to fix politics, and to end coercion and goondaism.”

Speaking on the deep-rooted problems Punjab had faced, the AAP Chief said, “They spread drugs all over Punjab. Who sells drugs? Whether it is one party or the other, it is their uncles, brothers, sons-in-law who are selling drugs, indulging in crime, and running gangs. They openly give tickets to gangsters. We did not come to do this. We came to clean this system. We have put our lives at stake, sacrificed everything. They even sent me to jail for raising my voice against them. They thought Arvind Kejriwal would stop speaking. I came out and roared even louder.”

He noted that Punjab witnessed completely clean elections. “Not a single vote was shifted. After four years of governance, despite the enormous challenges of running Punjab, people still voted for us. When we took over, there was no money. Punjab had been drowned in debt. They looted everything. Salaries were not paid on time earlier. In our time, not even one month has passed when salaries were delayed. Everyone gets their salary on time. We are running the government honestly, saving every penny, and delivering results.”