With Rahul Gandhi citing incumbent chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s poor family background while naming the latter as the CM candidate for the upcoming Punjab Assembly election, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday lambasted the Congress leader’s for describing
Channi, who has declared his family’s assets to be Rs 170 Crore in his affidavit to the Election Commission, as poor.

Addressing a Press conference, Mann said Channi, whom Congress has named as its poor chief ministerial candidate, is not poor, he is a billionaire. The AAP leader said a man who has Rs 170 Crore can be poor only for the people like Rahul Gandhi and not for the common people.

“Those who are really poor, they do not have food in their houses. They don’t have flour, vegetables and other basic things for the kitchen. They have to spend the winters without blankets and quilts. They do not have money for the education and treatment of their children. If someone falls ill at home, they have to take out a loan. Rahul Gandhi, who was born in the house of the Prime Minister and a silver spoon, will never know the condition of the poor,” he added.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, Mann said in 2017 Assembly polls, Congress’ then CM candidate Captain Amarinder Singh, who belonged to the royal family of Patiala, was also described as the leader of the poor. But his (Amarinder’s) doors were then closed for the poor for four and a half years while he sat in his luxurious farm house, he added.

The AAP leader said now in 2022, the Congress presented the billionaire CM, Channi, who played the dramatic role of a common man, in front of the people by calling himself poor. “But this time the people of Punjab have understood the difference between real poor and fake poor. This time the people of Punjab will elect the one who will help them to eradicate poverty, not those who pretend to be poor for votes,” he added.

Mann said it is clear AAP is going to form the government with a huge majority. People of Punjab are fed up with Akali-BJP, Congress and Captain Amarinder Singh who has formed Punjab Lok Congress after resigning from the Congress. “People want change now and will vote for change this time. March 10 (the day of election result) will be a historic day for Punjab,” he added.