The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a massive rally in Jalandhar on Thursday in favour of its by-election candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku. AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant reached Jalandhar to campaign for AAP candidate there.
Party candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku thanked the party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and AAP Punjab President CM Bhagwant Mann for entrusting him with this responsibility. He claimed that with the support of all the local leaders and party volunteers who are working hard everyday and going door to door to meet people, he will register a big win in this election.
He also targeted PPCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa by saying that they used to insult Channi after the embarrassing defeat in assembly elections of 2022 and now they are seeking votes in his name.
Addressing the gathering Arvind Kejriwal said that during the assembly elections of 2022 the people of Punjab, including Jalandhar, voted for the Aam Aadmi party with open hearts. You elected 92 AAP MLAs, elected Bhagwant Mann as your chief minister and this government is living up to your expectations.
He said that the AAP government of Punjab has fulfilled all its major guarantees in just one year. He added, some people say that we don't know how to do politics, promises are fulfilled in the last one year not first, I say, we are not here to do politics, we're here to serve the people.
Mentioning the zero electricity bills, Kejriwal said that when we announced that guarantee, the opposition parties used to call it impossible, but we delivered on our promise in just three months and now 80% households of Punjab are getting zero electricity bills.
He said that an end has been put to all kinds of corruption. The money, which was going to the pockets of corrupt leaders of traditional parties, is going to the exchequer of Punjab and the revenue has increased of all government departments.
He said 38 mohalla clinics are functioning in Jalandhar and soon more will be opened after elections. He promised a big hospital of the level of PGI Chandigarh in Jalandhar, so that people can get treatment without any hassle.
He praised the Mann government for giving 28,000 government jobs and regularising 25,000 employees and said that lacs of jobs will be given to the youth in the next four years. Mafia raj has been stopped in Punjab and the minister responsible for SC scholarship was arrested too.
Talking about the local issues of Jalandhar, Arvind Kejriwal said that all the damaged roads, especially Deep Nagar Road, Adampur main road and Jalandhar west smart city road will be reconstructed soon.
He said that the Mann government will solve the issues being faced by the blue card holders too. Kejriwal asked the people of Jalandhar that they've voted for Congress for the last 60 years but what did Congress do for them in return...nothing! So give one chance to the Aam Aadmi party.
He added, if you want to get your work done then vote for AAP, if you want fights then vote for Congress and BJP.Before Arvind Kejriwal, AAP Punjab President and the chief minister Bhagwant Mann addressed the people of Jalandhar and said, this election is not going to change or form a government but casting your vote to the AAP will mean creating history.
He added, you elected 92 MLAs in Punjab, the people of Delhi elected 63 MLAs of AAP, we have 10 Rajya sabha members but now Jalandhar has a chance to elect a Lok Sabha member too. He said, I raised the issues of people from 2014-22 in parliament, then you elected me as your chief minister.
Now all you have to do is vote for AAP candidate, I'll teach Sushil Rinku how to raise issues of the people and how to get works of Punjab done there.Mann said that since the formation of an honest AAP government in Punjab, NRIs trust the AAP government and they are contributing to the development of the state.
Mann said that his government has ended corruption and arrested corrupt leaders and officers. Talking about the performance of AAP government for the last one year, Mann said that we made electricity free, households of Punjab are getting zero electricity bill, farmers and industry sector got uninterrupted electricity, paid 20,200 crore to PSPCL of subsidy, reforming the schools, hospitals and opening mohalla clinics, ended sand mafia and we are also giving government jobs to the youth.
Criticising the previous governments Mann said that they wasted the taxpayers' money on the gangsters. Mukhtar Ansari, a gangster of UP was given VIP treatment in the jail of Ropar and expensive lawyers were hired to defend him in courts by the then Congress government.
This all cost 55 lacs to the people of Punjab and now we are planning on recovering this money from the minister who approved it all. He also took jibe at the divided house of Congress and said that when Congressmen sit together and no one walks out in the middle, it is a news worthy event in Punjab.
Similarly about Sukhbir Singh Badal Mann said that he is a complete failure.Mann said that this victory will encourage the AAP government in the state and we'll work harder to make Punjab 'Rangla' again.
He said that this win will also prove to all the oppositions that the people of Punjab accept the AAP and they like us. Mann said that he is aware of the issues of Jalandhar like mountains of waste, Adampur airport, damaged roads etc., and all issues will be solved soon.He appealed to the people of Jalandhar to vote for AAP candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku.
Along with Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, AAP Punjab general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat, MLA Kartarpur Balkar Singh, MLA Jalandhar west Sheetal Angural, MLA Nakodar Inderjit Kaur Maan, MLA Raman Arora, Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, Mohinder Bhagat, Dinesh dhall, Prem Kumar, Rattan singh, Jit lal Bhatti, Surinder Singh Sodhi and Jagbir Brar were also present.