Punjab AAP rallies behind Kejriwal; leaders stopped at Singhu, ‘lathi-charged’

Back home in Punjab, some ministers and MLAs staged a demonstration in Amritsar. The protest was attended by ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Dr Indrabir Nijjar, Lal Chand Kataruchak, and Laljit Singh Bulara among others.

Earlier, Health Minister Balbir Singh said that “ministers, MLAs and workers of AAP government going from Punjab to Delhi to support Arvind Kejriwal were stopped and baton charged by Delhi Police at Singhu border.”

An AAP leader claimed that Balbir Singh and many volunteers suffered injuries and were admitted to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela. Balbir Singh tweeted a picture saying he had to perform CPR on some volunteers.

Addressing media, Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa said they were stopped by the Delhi Police at the Singhu border. “Our volunteers were hit on their heads with lathis. The Modi government is adopting a completely dictatorial attitude to stop the Aam Aadmi Party”.

Minister Harjot Bains, who managed to reach the CBI office, said, “When we asked the police why we were being stopped at Singhu border, no reason was given. I switched vehicles and managed to reach Delhi”.

He said, “The Modi government should remember that history is witness that whenever a revolution is stopped, it gets even stronger”.

Later, AAP leaders, protesting in front of the CBI office were detained by the Delhi Police. CM Mann said that Kejriwal has changed the direction and condition of the country’s politics.

“Ours is an honest party and runs the government honestly. That is why we are being targeted. We did not take loan of even Re 1 in Delhi. We gave free electricity, built mohalla clinics and schools. Delhi’s budget has tripled. If our party had nurtured a mafia in Delhi, this budget would never have increased.” Mann said.

He said in 13 months since AAP formed government in Punjab, “we have given 28,000 jobs, 82 per cent of the houses are getting zero power bills, 504 mohalla clinics have been set up, and Schools of Eminence are being opened”.

“All this has become possible only because an honest government is in Punjab. We have rooted out all the mafia and routed the people’s money to state’s exchequer”.

The CM added that the BJP is not able to digest the fact that AAP has become national party in a short span of time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been able to tolerate Delhi’s education and health revolution. “So, they arrested both Delhi’s Education Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain and put them in jail,” Mann said.

He said, “Now that the AAP is getting response from across the country, so these people are preparing to send Kejriwal to jail too . This is not a democracy, it is dictatorship. Everyday, we think of ways to take the country forward while the BJP people think of ways to send the opponents to jail. But, the more these people try to suppress us, the more we will rise”.

He also claimed that there was no scam in Delhi. They are only alleging the scam. “We implemented the same policy in Punjab and our revenue increased by about 41%”.