INDIA VOTES 2024: Condition of Punjab industry was terrible before AAP’s arrival, says Arvind Kejriwal

Ludhiana, May 28

National convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the Sarkar Vyapar Milni programme in Ludhiana on Tuesday.

He appealed to the people of Ludhiana to make AAP candidate Ashok Parashar Pappi win and said the party candidate would raise all their issues in Parliament and fight at the Central-level for their rights.

Make AAP strong at centre these polls

You people gave us a huge majority in the Assembly poll two years ago. These are the LS elections. This time make us strong at the Centre. Make the Aam Aadmi Party win all 13 seats in the state, then only Punjab will reverberate inside the Lok Sabha. Arvind Kejriwal, AAP National Convener

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Kejriwal said: “Before our government was formed, the condition of business and industry in Punjab was so bad that the industries were leaving the state and going to Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and other neighbouring states. In the past two years, the trend of industries leaving Punjab has stopped and new industries are coming to the state. Punjab, under the Bhagwant Mann government, got investments worth Rupees fiftysix thousand crores. Now, foreign companies are also buying land for industries here. After Jamshedpur, Tata Steel’s biggest plant is now being set up in the state,” he said.

Kejriwal said on the previous occasion, he came to listen to their problems but this time he had come to ask for their support. “You people gave us a huge majority in the Assembly poll two years ago. These are the Lok Sabha elections. This time make us strong at the Centre. Make the Aam Aadmi Party win all 13 seats in the state, then only Punjab will reverberate inside the Lok Sabha,” he said.

He said: “All our MPs will raise the voice of the people of the state and get all issues related to the Centre resolved. When we will have 13 MPs from Punjab, the Central Government cannot stop even Rs 1 of Punjab funds,” he said.

Kejriwal said BJP leaders had running a dictatorship in the country. “The elections were announced on March 16 and I was arrested on March 21 because Narendra Modi was afraid that if Kejriwal was not arrested, he would campaign around the whole country, which would reduce his seats,” he said.

Kejriwal said the BJP had become so arrogant that they have started considering Modi above God.

He said the Modi government had withheld funds worth about Rs nine thousand crores of Punjab. Of this, Rs 5,500 crore is part of the Rural Development Fund. This RDF money was to be used to build roads in every village. The money of the National Health Mission has also been withheld, which could have been used to build more mohalla clinics. They are doing the same as the BJP wants to stop development of the state.

Finance Minister meets bizmen in separate event

Meanwhile, in a separate event indutrialists were addressed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. An industrilaist said the minister while addressing businessmen stated that she understands challenges faced by the state industry. She also stated that if BJP comes to power again, she assured all that issues such as amendment of Section 43B of the Income Tax Act, the speedy work of Halwara airport, more budget to the MSMEs for growth, the issue of under billing products, the exorbitant rates of raw material and steel will be taken care of, he said. Core issues were patiently listened by the BJP leader and industry looked satisfied,” said another industrialist, who had attended the event.

With inputs from Shivani Bhakoo