Chandigarh-The National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann campaigned for AAP candidate Ishank Chabbewal in Chabbewal. Both leaders addressed a large public rally in Jiyan village and appealed to the people to support the AAP candidate.
Arvind Kejriwal, urging people to support Ishank, said, "Two and a half years ago, you gave AAP an historic mandate. Therefore, your expectations are also high." He said, "Two and a half years ago, people in Punjab were most troubled by high electricity bills. Some had old bills of up to 2 lakh or even 1 lakh rupees. We promised you that we would waive off your old bills and your future bills would be zero. We fulfilled that promise. Now, people's electricity bills are zero."
Kejriwal said, "The BJP governs in nearly 20 states of the country, and other states are governed by different parties. AAP is only in two places: Punjab and Delhi, and in both places, people’s electricity bills are zero, and they get 24-hour electricity. In other states, electricity is very expensive. Providing free electricity is like a miracle."
"We promised you free healthcare. Today, Aam Aadmi Clinics are opening across Punjab. Medicines and tests are free there. We are also improving all government hospitals, and treatment there is free as well. Schools across Punjab are being improved. So far, over 45, 000 youth have been given government jobs. In every village in Punjab, about 4 to 5 youth have received jobs. No one had to pay money or use influence. Earlier, it was impossible to get a government job without bribes or recommendations."
"We have regularized temporary employees, and the process of regularizing employees is ongoing. Now, government employees are not seen on water tanks; they are at their workplaces. Additionally, our government has shut down several toll plazas, saving people millions of rupees every day."
Kejriwal said, "When your MP, MLA, and state government are all from AAP, the development of the region will happen much faster." He praised Dr. Rajkumar Chabbewal and said, "There won't be a single family in the area that hasn't received free treatment from him."
Kejriwal assured the people and said, "If you elect Dr. Ishank with a historic majority, all your needs will be fulfilled." Kejriwal promised that an ITI-Polytechnic College would be built in the area. "The water from the Bist Doab Canal does not reach here; we will arrange for the farmers here to benefit from that water. A new policy for agriculture-based and women-based small-scale industries will be created so that more industries come here and our children get more jobs." He also said, "All necessary sports stadiums will be built to help youth give up drug addiction. The road from Adampur to Garhshankar will be named after Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, and all roads leading to Gurudwaras will be widened to 18 feet to make commuting easier."
Addressing a Public Rally, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that in the previous government, the Finance Minister kept saying for five years that the treasury was empty. He questioned, "If they didn't provide free electricity, build roads, or create good hospitals and schools, how could the treasury be empty? The truth is, their intentions were empty. They didn’t want to work."
He added, "We never said the treasury was empty, yet we carried out major projects. We are providing free electricity to the common people. Farmers are getting more than 8 hours of electricity during the day for farming. To address the power shortage, we purchased the Goindwal Sahib thermal plant. In just two and a half years, we have given over 45, 000 government jobs to the youth. Today, there is competition among villages about how many jobs each village has received. Our intentions are clear, and that is why so much has been accomplished."
Mann also remarked, "Since AAP came to power, even leaders of traditional parties have started going to the people. Previously, they would strike deals over the phone to buy votes and win. He gave the example of the 2012 assembly elections and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when because of him traditional leaders were touching people's feet and receiving blessings. Before, these leaders didn’t even step out of their homes during elections."
He stated that this change in politics was due to Arvind Kejriwal. "AAP is a party for the common people and it does politics based on work. The BJP is scared of Arvind Kejriwal’s work, and that is why, through conspiracy, they jailed him, Manish Sisodia, and other AAP leaders. They didn't realize that while they might imprison Kejriwal, they can’t imprison his ideas."
Attacking Congress, Mann said, "Due to lack of funds, the needs of the common people were not being met. Meanwhile, a Congress minister from Hoshiarpur was found with a note-counting machine during a Vigilance inquiry. Just imagine how much money he must have looted! These politicians come into politics only to make money. For them, politics is a business. We use public funds to provide facilities to the public. In just two and a half years, we’ve opened over 850 Aam Aadmi Clinics, where more than 2 crore people have received treatment. We are improving the condition of government schools and hospitals. We are establishing a medical college. An Ayurvedic Medical College is also being built in Hoshiarpur."
Mann also attacked Pratap Bajwa, saying that as the PWD Minister, he had installed the most toll plazas in Punjab. "We have shut down 16 toll plazas, saving people nearly 62 lakh rupees every day." He also criticized Captain Amarinder Singh, stating that he and his family had never stood with the people. "During the Mughal era, they were with the Mughals. During British rule, they were with the British. During the Akali Raj, they were with the Akali Dal. During the Congress government, they were with Congress, and now they are with the BJP." He also targeted Sukhbir Badal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Criticizing the opposition parties, Mann said, "Someone asked me if I thought the election date should be extended by a week. I told them that previously, opposition parties would lose by 20-25 thousand votes, but now they will lose by 30-35 thousand votes." He urged the people to vote for the AAP candidate, promising, "There will be no shortage of funds for the development of Chabbewal. Your demand, Ishank’s letter, and my signature will ensure this."