Leaders and MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday staged a protest against Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini during his visit to Amritsar. Waving black flags and wearing black bands on their heads, AAP leaders opposed his arrival and stated that the BJP has consistently adopted an anti-Punjab stand.
Nayab Singh Saini had arrived in Amritsar to attend a rally at Dana Mandi and participate in a Saini community function. However, outside the rally venue, local AAP MLAs and leaders demonstrated against his convoy and expressed resentment over what they described as the BJP’s discriminatory attitude towards Punjab.
MLA Jeevan Jyot Kaur, MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar, MLA Dr. Ajay Gupta, District President Amritsar Urban Prabhvir Singh Brar, Lok Sabha Incharge Jaskaran Badesha, District President Amritsar Rural Gurpartap Singh Sandhu, Dr. Inderpal, Gurdarshan Singh Goldy, Arwinder Singh Bhatti, Varun Rana, Satnam Singh Matharu, Mandeep Monga, Balbir Boparai, Visakha Singh, Raman Kumar, Bobby Bawa, Vimramjit Vicky, Baljit Singh Rinku, Sukhchain Singh Talwandi, Rajbir Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Daljit Singh, Gurpreet Kataria, Gaurav Agarwal, Satpal Sokhi, Kamna Anand, Sarbjit Ball and Ashok Kumar were joined by a large number of protestors outside the venue of his events.
AAP leaders said that the BJP-led central government has repeatedly withheld Punjab’s rightful funds related to rural development, health, education and other sectors, while simultaneously attempting to mislead the people of the state through political visits and rhetoric. Addressing the media during the protest, Jeevan Jyot Kaur said, “We are protesting today because we want to ask, with what face is the BJP coming to Punjab?
Why are they trying to mislead the people here? The public knows very well that BJP has blocked Punjab’s rightful funds, whether it is for health, education or development. Punjabis are well aware of the anti-farmer, anti-trade and anti-education face of the BJP.”
She further added, “Punjab’s people are not naive. They understand that BJP has always acted against Punjab’s interests. Today’s protest is a clear message that the people of Punjab will not be fooled by false propaganda.”
AAP leader Neel Garg also addressed the media and said, “You have every right to promote your party in Punjab, but do not forget that you are the Chief Minister of Haryana. Do not mislead people by raising baseless questions on Punjab’s law and order.”
Citing data, Neel Garg said, “Central agencies’ reports clearly show that in terms of maintaining law and order, Punjab ranks better than Haryana. Punjab stands second in the country in maintaining law and order, while in crime rankings it is much lower than Haryana.
Haryana has witnessed over 1,000 murders in 2023 and more than 900 in 2024. Atrocities against women and Dalits are significantly higher there. Before lecturing Punjab, the Haryana government should introspect.”
He also countered BJP’s claims regarding farmers’ debt and said, “The debt burden on Punjab’s farmers increased significantly during the period when BJP was in power here. Moreover, there is no substantial difference between the debt levels of farmers in Haryana and Punjab. False statements cannot change facts.”
Concluding his remarks, Neel Garg said, “Instead of trying to gain political mileage in Punjab, the Haryana Chief Minister should first fulfil his responsibilities towards the people who elected him and improve the situation in Haryana.”