Chandigarh, January 17
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann campaigned for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Jarnail Singh in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar Assembly constituency. Mann also participated in a Lohri celebration and addressed the gathering.
Speaking to the people of Tilak Nagar, Mann said that February 5 will be the day for you to decide the future of your family and children. Therefore, choose a person who knows how to work and does not engage in hate politics. He urged, “Do not entrust the responsibility of your future to those who do divisive politics. Those who practice hate politics can never work for your welfare.”
Mann stated that the movement started by Arvind Kejriwal from Ramlila Maidan has now expanded to many places. “Our government was formed in Punjab. We have a mayor in Chandigarh, a mayor in Jalandhar, and another in Patiala. The Aam Aadmi Party governs Delhi’s MCD. We have five MLAs in Gujarat, two MLAs in Goa, three Lok Sabha members from Punjab, and seven Rajya Sabha members, with three more from Delhi. In just 10 years, the Aam Aadmi Party has become a national party, and that is a significant achievement,” he said.
Mann said that the Aam Aadmi Party does the politics of work. “We talk about schools, hospitals, education, and healthcare. The work done in Delhi—whether it is Mohalla Clinics, government hospitals, the transformation of government schools, free electricity and water, or free bus travel for women—all these have been implemented in Punjab as well,” he said.
He further added that AAP’s government in Punjab has been in power for nearly three years. “So far, we have built 850 Mohalla Clinics in Punjab. Treatment in government hospitals is free, and we are transforming government schools. In the last three years, we have provided over 50,000 government jobs in Punjab. Every village has youth who have secured government jobs without any bribes or recommendations,” he said.
Mann highlighted AAP’s election symbol, the broom, saying, “The broom’s purpose is to clean, and we have cleared the muck in Punjab and Delhi, which is why the lotus does not bloom in these places. In both Punjab and Delhi, BJP is reduced to single-digit MLAs. Even BJP knows that they stand no chance in Delhi, and Congress will once again remain at zero.”
He accused BJP and Congress of copying AAP’s use of the term “guarantee.” “They used to call it a manifesto, then a resolution letter, and sometimes a declaration. But since Arvind Kejriwal started giving guarantees, they have also begun using the term,” he said.
Mann criticized BJP for its hypocrisy, saying, “They accused Kejriwal of distributing freebies, but today in their manifesto, they have promised ₹2500 for women and free gas cylinders among other freebies.”
He also accused BJP of deliberately framing AAP leaders in false cases. “They imprisoned our leaders on fabricated charges. They even kept Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail. I want to ask them: You can imprison Kejriwal, but can you imprison his ideas?”