Kejriwal a shifty character, says Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh slammed, here on Monday, his Delhi counterpart and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on tall claims on providing cheap power.

He was a shifty character who had mastered the art of deceit and lies to mislead the people, the Congress leader said addressing a public meeting in Hari Nagar for Congress candidate Surinder Setia.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning the entire country into Shaheen Bagh, he said it was using the protest to polarise Delhi elections and in the process destroying India's foundations.

Taking on Kejriwal, Singh said the AAP leader had done nothing exceptional by providing cheap power and setting up mohalla clinics. All Congress Chief Ministers were doing that, he added.

"Some people will surely be happy with these freebies. But what has he done for the development and progress of Delhi? What has he done for creating jobs for your children," Singh said while questioning Kejriwal as how many jobs had the AAP given to youth in Delhi.

"In Punjab, we have given jobs to 11 lakh youths," he said. What Delhi needed was economic and industrial development, he said and added, there had virtually been no progress in Delhi in the last five years.

He, however, regretted that both the AAP and the BJP had sacrificed Delhiites' interests in their turf war. The city that witnessed huge progress under the Congress regime had been deprived of any development over the past five years.

He said only the Congress could ensure Delhi's development and work for strengthening and uniting India.

Criticising the BJP, the Punjab Chief Minister said, "They are attempting to polarise Delhi elections with Shaheen Bagh. But they will not succeed as people have seen through their game".

Stating that the entire country had become Shaheen Bagh with protests against the new citizenship law (CAA) and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). "There is unrest in universities. Students are on the streets, and are being shot at," he said, and added, it was not the India for which so many had sacrificed themselves.

He said in contrast to the BJP's divisive politics that had weakened the nation, the Congress always worked towards strengthening India.

The final NRC draft in Assam deleted 19 lakh names, he said. "Will they all be put in detention camps that they have built. Where will all those people, being brand non-citizens, go," the Congress leader asked.

In an informal chat with the media later, the Chief Minister said, "Kejriwal is giving subsidy on power to only a section of residential consumers and spending Rs 1,600-1,700 crore on it. My government spends Rs 9,000-10,000 crore on power subsidy to all sections of society. He is also making Delhi commercial and industrial consumers pay through the nose by cross-subsidising them."

Singh later held a road show in Kalkaji for party candidate Shivani Chopra.

( With inputs from IANS )