Ludhiana bypoll win people's endorsement of Mann govt's work in Punjab: Kejriwal

Ludhiana: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the AAP government has done a lot of work in Punjab in the last three years, and the victory in the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll is a stamp of public approval for the efforts of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

He was addressing a gathering during a 'Dhanwad Sabha' to express gratitude to the voters of Ludhiana.

AAP's Sanjeev Arora won the June 19 bypoll after defeating Congress nominee Bharat Bhushan Ashu by over 10,000 votes. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.

Taking a swipe at the Congress and the BJP, Kejriwal accused both parties of running out of real issues of public interest to seek votes on, and instead harping on just one issue -- that the AAP chief should not be allowed to go to the Rajya Sabha.

Kejriwal said that while the AAP talked about education, healthcare, roads, electricity, water, and drug de-addiction, the Congress and the BJP spread false rumours to mislead the public.

"Immediately after the results, I held a press conference and made it clear that I will not go to the Rajya Sabha," he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP and the Congress had colluded to oppose AAP -- just like in Delhi.

Referring to the Visavadar assembly bypoll in Gujarat, considered a stronghold of the BJP, Kejriwal said the AAP candidate won by more than 17,000 votes, which left the saffron party fuming. So, it arrested an AAP MLA out of spite, Kejriwal claimed.

While the BJP may try to intimidate the AAP leaders and workers, it will not succeed, he said.

He said the Ludhiana and Visavadar by-elections were a semi-final for the 2027 assembly elections in Punjab and Gujarat and expressed confidence that the AAP will form the government in both states with a massive majority.

Kejriwal also blamed the previous Congress and Akali-BJP governments for the proliferation of drugs in Punjab, alleging they ruined the youth of the state.

The AAP government has launched a war against drugs, and strict action is being taken against drug peddlers, who are being sent to jail, Kejriwal said.

Citing a 2017 survey, Kejriwal claimed that Punjab then ranked 29th in the country in education, but due to the AAP's efforts, it has reached the top position.

He said that in the last three years, over 8,000 schools have been provided with boundary walls, toilets have been constructed and security guards deployed. Now, students no longer sit on mats but on desks in classrooms, he said.

When the toilets were inaugurated, the Congress and the BJP mocked the AAP, but now people are asking them, "What did you do in 75 years?" People are now saying that they have never seen so much development work before, he claimed.

The AAP has done more work in three years than what the Congress and the Akali-BJP governments did in 70 years. These parties only "looted Punjab and filled their own pockets," he alleged.

He further said the chief minister is soon going to bring a strict law against sacrilege. "But even this seems to be troubling the opposition parties," he said.

Targeting the Congress, he asked whether they would support this law or seek the BJP's permission first, since Congress leaders do everything only after getting approval from the BJP.

Chief Minister Mann also slammed the opposition parties, saying the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal are now fighting for their political survival.

"Their condition is such that they can't even find people to form 11 or 21-member committees," he said.

Mann said his aim is not to turn Punjab into "California or London," but to make it a strong and self-reliant state.