JOIN USRahul Gandhi says AAP in Punjab remote controlled by Raghav Chadha from Delhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the AAP government in Punjab, saying it is remote controlled from Delhi by its MP Raghav Chadha and that it has spent funds of Punjab government for the party in Gujarat elections.
Rahul's attack on the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP came at a rally on the last day of Bharat Jodo Yatra's Punjab-leg before entering Jammu and Kashmir. In a retort, Mann had said that he was made a Chief Minister by the public while accusing Congress of insulting Amarinder Singh by unceremoniously removing him from the post of chief minister.
Recalling his remarks during a meeting in Hoshiarpur on January 16, Rahul said he had asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann not to let Punjab be run by a remote control and that he had spoken about it seriously.
He said Mann used to sit with him in Lok Sabha and that he respected the comedian-turned-politician but added that there is a difference between him and Kejriwal, who is the Chief Minister of Delhi.
"I respect you, I am saying this from the stage of Congress party, but Punjab should not be run from Delhi," Rahul said.
Referring to his interactions with a Congress worker and a farmer when he asked them about the developments in Punjab, he said both told him that that nothing has been happening in the state.
"I also met a farmer, first I asked him about farming, then I asked - brother, tell me this new government has come, what has it done? His answer was that this is a remote control government, I did not like it," he said.
Emphasising that Congress will fight and defeat the AAP, which is a "different matter", he said, "if a farmer says remote control government and I ask him what remote control means and he says Raghav Chadha, it means RC. This is not good," he said.
He also found fault with the AAP government spending the money of Punjabis for advertisements in Gujarat during Assembly elections.
"Your money should not be used for Gujarat elections and advertisements, this is not right. This is the money of the people of Punjab and I say again that I like Bhagwant Mann-ji, but Punjab should be run from Punjab," he said.
Attacking the BJP-led Centre, Rahul said its policies like demonetisation, "faulty" GST and Agniveer scheme "create fear" among the people.
"The BJP was making one religion fight against another, creating a wedge, pitting one caste against another and one language against another. They (BJP) creates fear. All of their policies cause fear to one or the other," he added.
Comparing UPA rule with NDA rule, he said UPA policies like MGNREGA, farm loan waiver, urban renewal mission, green revolution and white revolution were to wipe out fear but those by the BJP are spreading fear.
On the Agniveer scheme, he said, "it has shattered the dreams of those aspiring to join the military. Has the Agniveer scheme lessened their fear or increased it? Hasn't this scheme increased their fear? Did the Agniveer scheme strengthen or weaken the country's Army," he asked.
"What three black laws did to farmers, the Agnipath scheme is doing to the armed forces," he added.
Pointing out that Ludhiana used to be the centre for small and medium industry and competed with China while Jalandhar is known for sports goods, he said, "did demonetisation eliminate or create fear, did wrong GST eliminate or create fear.
So, wherever they bring a scheme, their target is to create fear and snatch the fruits of people's labour and hand it over to India's 2-3 billionaires."