Arvind Kejriwal’s claims re-run of 2017 false promises: Capt Amarinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 22

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday rejected his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal’s claims and allegations against the state government, saying it was a re-run of false promises and cheap attacks on the Congress that later had resorted to in the 2017 Assembly elections.

“The people of Punjab were wise to your deceptions then, and can see through them again now... Kejriwal’s lies will be exposed again, just as they had been exposed in the 2017 Assembly polls. Punjab knows what a first-rate liar and master of deceit you (Kejriwal) are,” said the Chief Minister, in a response to Kejriwal’s criticism at a mahapanchayat yesterday.

Trashing his Delhi counterpart’s allegation of the Congress government failing to fulfil its poll promises, he said it was ridiculous to compare his government’s track record of over 84 per cent promises implemented with that of the Delhi Government’s less than 25 per cent of 2015 manifesto commitments fulfilled in 2020. “If this is the Delhi model you (Kejriwal) are promising in Punjab then my people are better off without it,” he added.

He pointed to independent analysis which had showed that at the end of its five-year term the Kejriwal government had fulfilled only 11 of its 70 promises.

The Chief Minister said despite Delhi Congress leader Ajay Maken’s repeated questioning on the issue, the AAP government had failed to show its progress on its 8-lakh jobs’ promise of 2015. He claimed as per figures listed in one of the analysis, the Kejriwal government had given jobs to 102 people in 2016, 66 in 2017, and 46 until April 2018.

In contrast, Capt Amarinder said, his government had provided 16.29 lakh jobs or self-employment opportunities, including 58,709 in the government sector alone, under the Ghar Ghar Rozgar Mission. He stressed his government would be recruiting another one lakh people to fill existing vacancies in government jobs.

Citing survey of the Government of India and its agencies, Capt Amarinder said as against Delhi’s unemployment rate of 8 per cent, Punjab had 7.2 per cent unemployment, which was even lower than the national average.

The Chief Minister also lambasted Kejriwal for not ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour during the Moga meeting, where the AAP leadership itself was seen without masks. He said it showed how little Kejriwal and his party cared about for the people of Punjab.