AAP evading answers on major issues: Khaira

Launching a scathing attack, senior Congress leader and former MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira today lambasted the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for desecrating the hallowed platform of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, reducing it to a spectacle of mockery, manipulation and outright authoritarianism. Khaira accused the AAP of wielding its brute majority like a sledgehammer to crush dissent, silence opposition voices and evade accountability on the most pressing issues troubling the people of Punjab.

“The Vidhan Sabha, once a beacon of democratic discourse, has been hijacked by the AAP and transformed into a circus where gimmickry and strong-arm tactics replace meaningful debate,” Khaira declared. “This government has no respect for democratic ideals that the Assembly represents. It is a betrayal of the trust reposed by the people of Punjab in their elected representatives,” he said.

Khaira singled out two issues that the AAP has deliberately swept under the rug: the chilling surge in alleged fake police encounters, which he described as a return to the dark days of state sponsored violence, and the audacious grab of approximately 25,000 acres of farmers’ land in Ludhiana, which he termed a “brazen looting of Punjab’s agrarian lifeline”. These issues, Khaira argued, strike at the heart of Punjab’s social and economic fabric, yet the AAP’s only response has been to muzzle opposition voices with ruthless efficiency.

Khaira accused the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha of abandoning all pretence of impartiality and acting as the AAP’s “loyal hitman” to execute their nefarious agenda. “The Speaker’s chair, meant to uphold fairness and ensure that every voice is heard, has been reduced to a puppet’s throne, manipulated by the AAP to choke democratic debate and shield their misdeeds,” he said.

Khaira further alleged that AAP’s tactics are not merely a political maneuver but a deliberate assault on Punjab’s democratic institutions. “By gagging the opposition, the AAP is attempting to hide its incompetence and complicity in issues that threaten the lives and livelihoods of Punjab’s citizens. This is not governance, it is tyranny dressed in democratic clothing,” he alleged.

The Congress leader called upon the people of Punjab to rise against this “dictatorial regime” and hold the AAP accountable for its anti-people policies and assault on democratic norms. He urged civil society, the media and all opposition parties to unite in exposing the AAP’s misrule and restore the sanctity of the Vidhan Sabha.

“Punjab deserves better than a government that thrives on deception and suppression. I will not rest until the voices of farmers, youth, and every marginalised citizen of Punjab are heard loud and clear in the Assembly and beyond,” Khaira vowed, pledging to escalate his fight against the AAP’s authoritarianism through public platforms, legal avenues and grassroots movements.