TheAam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Affairs co-in-charge and MLA Raghav Chadha saidthe new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has forgotten his claim in whichhe had said that 'either Channi will remain or corruption will be there'; as byincluding tainted ministers in the cabinet, he has made it clear that theCongress cannot change its character and corruption and Channi will go hand inhand. “Because, the Congress and corruption are two sides of the same coin,” headded.
Addressinga press conference at Jalandhar Press Club on Tuesday, Raghav Chadha said theinclusion of ministers Rana Gurjit Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and GurkiratSingh Kotli in the cabinet is clear that the Congress has changed only 'AliBaba' but the thieves are still there. Taking a jibe, Chadha said it is clearfrom this that the biscuit is the old one; only its packet has been changed. Hesaid Channi had stated of not meeting the mining mafia after taking over as theChief Minister; but by making Rana Gurjit Singh, who is surrounded by other bigallegations including mining mafia and corruption, sit along with him in thecabinet; has proved that appearances are deceptive.
Accordingto Chadha, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Channi have again brought RanaGurjit Singh in the cabinet and proved that corruption is not going to go fromPunjab in the Congress rule. Raghav Chadha said that Navjot Singh Sidhu, whohas long aspired to become the Chief Minister of Punjab, had stated toeliminate the mining mafia running on share-basis; but was it all a fight forthe chair? The people of Punjab demand an answer and Navjot Sidhu shouldclarify his stand on the inclusion of Rana Gurjit in the cabinet, he said.
TheAAP leader further said that there are allegations against Minister BharatBhushan Ashu of causing loss of thousands of crores to Punjab with its link tothe mandi mafia. Chadha said minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli is also facingallegations of sexual assault on a French woman; but by including all theseministers in the cabinet, it is clear that the Congress wants to loot Punjab.Raghav Chadha said the change of Chief Minister just a few months before theelections was only misleading the people of Punjab. He said the Congress has anold habit of doing such dramas.
Chadhasaid the Congress has only changed the captain of the ship, but the people ofPunjab have made up their mind to change the entire ship; because the Congresshas no concern with the farmers-labourers and traders, who are the backbone ofPunjab along with any other section. He said the farmers’ families in Punjabare facing the wrath of pink bollworms. The farmers of Malwa belt in particularhave been hit hard by the pink bollworm infestation.
Chadhasaid Chief Minister Channi has seen the plight of the farmers himself butdespite this, the Channi government has not announced any compensation amountfor the farmers. He demanded that Chief Minister Channi should give acompensation amount of Rs 75,000 per acre to every affected farmer and providerelief to the farm laborer by giving a compensation amount of Rs 25,000 andlearn from the Kejriwal government of Delhi.
Onthe occasion, AAP MLA Prof Baljinder Kaur, Women Wing state president RajwinderKaur Thiara, district president Olympian Surinder Singh Sodhi, Principal PremKumar, Balkar Singh, Harcharan Singh Sandhu, Dr Sanjeev Sharma, Dr Shiv DayalMali, Amritpal Singh, Ramneek Randhawa, Subhash Sharma, Suleman Bahru, GauravPuri among others were present.