Chandigarh, March 9 – Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on Monday of engaging in "election-time freebie politics," claiming that the people of the state are disillusioned with the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Chief Minister Saini told the media here that the people of Punjab are increasingly disillusioned with the government's policies and are now looking for an alternative ahead of the next elections.
Responding to the Punjab government's budget announcement of providing Rs 1,500 to women belonging to the Scheduled Category (SC) and Rs 1,000 to other women, the Chief Minister said that the AAP government is making such promises with the upcoming Assembly elections in mind.
However, he said that these announcements would not benefit the party politically as the people of Punjab had already decided to bring about a change in the government.
Chief Minister Saini said that whether it was the earlier Congress governments or the present AAP regime, both had a history of making populist promises and distributing "freebies" during elections.
Taking a swipe at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said that Kejriwal too used to make attractive announcements during elections and claimed that the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab would face a similar outcome in the next Assembly polls.
The Chief Minister said that whenever people from Punjab meet him, they complain that the state government is creating hurdles to the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a result, many eligible beneficiaries are unable to avail themselves of the scheme's benefits.
The Chief Minister said it is truly unfortunate that the government led by Mann has, on many occasions, attempted to obstruct programmes during his recent visit to Punjab.
He said whenever the Punjab Chief Minister visits Haryana, he is always accorded full respect in accordance with the protocol due to a Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Saini further expressed concern over the reported use of tear gas on women employees who were protesting for their rights on the occasion of International Women's Day, and termed the incident as deeply unfortunate.
He said such actions send an inappropriate message, especially on a day dedicated to recognising and respecting the contributions and rights of women.