AAP govt built on 'false promises' says Haryana CM Saini during Ludhiana visit

Ludhiana, Jun 14 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday launched a stinging attack on the Punjab government during his visit to Ludhiana, alleging that the AAP dispensation failed to deliver on all fronts and misled the people with hollow slogans.
    Campaigning for the BJP's Jiwan Gupta for the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election, Saini accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of deliberately blocking central welfare schemes in the state.
    "The AAP government in Punjab is built on lies. They have done no work for public welfare and do not even seem interested in doing so. But now, the people of Punjab have seen through the deception," he said.
    Earlier, a group of people waved black flags as Saini's cavalcade passed by, who, a Punjab BJP leader claimed, were AAP workers. The leader claimed that the protesters blocked the road, which was a security lapse, and sought the Election Commission's intervention.
    Saini, without taking any names, said, "They had done the same during the Haryana Assembly elections, and the result is before everyone. The people are wise and know whom to trust".
    The bypoll to the Ludhiana West assembly seat in Punjab will take place on June 19, and the counting will be held on June 23. The Ludhiana West assembly seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.
    Interacting with media persons, Saini drew a parallel between the Congress and the AAP, saying, "Both have betrayed the people. Congress let Punjabis down during its tenure, and now AAP is following the same path."
    He also accused the Punjab government of deliberately blocking central welfare schemes.
    Several state governments have successfully implemented pro-people centrally sponsored schemes across the country, but Punjab is denying its citizens these benefits due to political motives, he alleged.
    In contrast, the Haryana government is ensuring minimum support price (MSP) for farmers and has invested crores of rupees under Ayushman Bharat to improve healthcare, Saini said.
    "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Haryana has progressed through consistent public welfare efforts. The people of Ludhiana West also want Punjab to move forward in the same direction," he said.
    He raised serious concerns about the law and order situation in Punjab.
    "Where is the law and order here? The AAP government is only active on paper and in advertisements. They must get down to real work," Saini said.
    He also criticised the Punjab government for raising disputes over the drinking water supply to Haryana.
    "This is the land of the Gurus, where the tradition of offering water through 'chabeels' began. Yet, this government refuses to give drinking water to a neighbouring state. It is unfortunate," Saini said.
    Recently, the two states were at loggerheads with the AAP government refusing to share water from the Bhakra dam, saying Haryana had already used its allocated share of water.
    Saini said the AAP government in Punjab was doing politics in the name of farmers but had done nothing for their welfare.
    Meanwhile, a statement from AAP alleged that Saini had to face "strong public opposition" during his visit to Ludhiana as aggrieved citizens, "frustrated over Haryana's historical exploitation of Punjab's water resources, confronted the CM's convoy, waving black flags and raising slogans"
    "This discontent stems from Haryana's alleged misuse of Punjab's rightful water allocation from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)," it claimed.
    However, Punjab BJP leader and party spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal, in a post on X, said, "These were not farmer unions -- these were @AAPPunjab workers blocking the road, and AAP's own social media posts are the proof".
    Baliawal asked why a proper route was not arranged by Punjab Police for the Haryana chief minister, who has Z plus security, while "Arvind Kejriwal, an ex-Delhi CM rejected by Delhi people and aspiring for a Rajya Sabha seat, gets a police-approved route, why this lapse for a sitting CM?"
    "We demand immediate intervention from the @ECISVEEP. This is a serious security breach," the BJP leader claimed.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)