Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on October 22, AAP Punjab President and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, stating that recent remarks made by its MP Amarinder Singh Waridng have exposed the party's anti-people and feudal mindset. Arora warned that if Congress accidentally returns to power in Punjab in 2027, it will strip citizens of free electricity, the Rs 10 lakh Chief Minister Health Scheme, and financial aid for women, while bringing back toll plazas and imposing heavy bills for electricity and canal water.
Accusations Of Hypocrisy Over Subsidies
Arora stated that while Congress wants to keep ordinary Punjabians away from welfare schemes, its own MPs, MLAs, and former ministers continue to enjoy subsidies. He challenged top party leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Partap Singh Bajwa, to clarify whether these schemes will continue if Congress forms the government. He questioned the criteria being suggested by Congress leaders regarding who is deserving of financial help, asking if Amarinder Singh Waridng or Rahul Gandhi would personally decide which households receive electricity subsidies or financial aid for women.
Challenging Congress Leaders To Lead By Example
Challenging Congress leaders to practice what they preach, Arora asked why party leaders, former ministers, and their families do not stop taking government subsidies themselves if they genuinely believe that those who do not need help should be excluded. He noted that while the AAP government has been providing free electricity for four years and financial aid to women for nearly six months, he has never seen any Congress leader publicly surrender these benefits. He emphasized that the public deserves clear answers rather than hollow electoral promises.
Historical Precedents And Past Record
Reminding the public of the historical track record of Congress on power subsidies, Arora pointed out that when the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh came to power in 2002, free electricity for farmers was initially discontinued and only restored two and a half years later during general elections. He added that Congress had also promised to maintain free electricity ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, raising doubts about the party's current credibility. He stressed that voters should judge Congress based on its past actions and government record rather than election manifestos.
Warning Of Broad Policy Reversals
Arora cautioned that the implications of Congress's stated approach would go far beyond electricity subsidies and financial aid for women. He asserted that a Congress government would bring back toll plazas, levy charges on canal water supplied for irrigation, increase power tariffs, and scrap the Rs 10 lakh health cover under the Chief Minister Health Scheme. He concluded by urging the people of Punjab not to be misled by election-time rhetoric and to carefully weigh the statements made by Congress leaders before the 2027 assembly elections.
