Punjab will soon get rid of ‘aapda’, says Cong bypoll candidate in Ludhiana on AAP’s three-year rule

Asserting that it was not the AAP government in Punjab, but the ‘aapda’ (a disaster) that had struck Punjab over three years ago, Punjab Congress working president and Ludhiana (West) candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu today said that the state would soon get rid of this ‘aapda’ and a new beginning would be made from Ludhiana (West).

Asked about the public response during an informal interaction with the media on the sidelines of his public meetings, Ashu said that people were recalling the previous five years of the Congress regime between 2017 and 2022. He said that, “It is a double benefit for him as people remember our government and compare it with the AAP’s fake and fictitious promises. We made no fake and false promises, and we only deliver on the ground,” he said, while adding that people were now feeling cheated that not only did the AAP back out of its promises, but has pushed the state into anarchy, where lawlessness, vendetta and corruption have become norm of the day.

The senior Congress leader reiterated his challenge to the ruling party and its candidate to list a single achievement of the AAP government for Punjab or Ludhiana. “I challenge them that their advertisement budget will turn out to be more than any of their public welfare schemes, if they really had any,” he asserted while referring to the massive expenditure the AAP government has incurred on campaigning advertisements.

Accusing the government of only resorting to ruthless vendetta against its political opponents, Ashu pointed out that he himself was one such example. “But I am thankful to the court, which not only quashed the case against me, but also said that it was out of political vendetta,” he said, while adding that he was feeling vindicated and was now seeking justice in the people’s court also.