Aam Aadmi Party national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said urged new Punjab CM, Charanjit Singh Channi to deliver five things – removal of tainted ministers and officer, action in sacrilege cases, jobs to youth, waive farm loans and cancel power purchase agreements – in the four months before Punjab goes for poll early next year.
Speaking to reporters at Chandigarh Airport at the beginning of his two-day tour of Punjab, Kejriwal congratulated the new CM and said Punjab should move ahead in the path of development. He said for this, Channi should do five things.
“There are allegations that tainted ministers have been inducted in the cabinet and tainted officers have been given important posts. I request him (Channi) to remove tainted officers and ministers with immediate effect. Cases should be filed against them and stern action should be taken against them at the earliest,” the AAP leader said.
On the Bargari sacrilege case, Kejriwal said entire Punjab is peeved over the lack of action against masterminds of the case. He said action can be taken against the masterminds of the cases in 24 hours on the basis of the report prepared by former Punjab Police officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who was part of the SIT probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident in Punjab.
“The soul of Punjab will feel peace (if action is taken in sacrilege case),” he said.
The AAP leader said Channi should either fulfill the poll promises made by Captain Amarinder Singh or admit that it was a lie told by the former CM. He said Amarinder had promised jobs for the unemployed. “Channi government should give employment to youth or give them unemployment allowance eih arrears for the past four-and-half-years,” he said.
Kejriwal said as promised by the ruling Congress in the run-up to 2017 Assembly polls, all farm loans should be waived off. He said the Power Purchase Agreements, which are blamed for high power tariffs in Punjab, should also be cancelled.
“The people of Punjab are asking for these five things. Channi has four months to deliver these five things. I had a 49-day government in which I reduced power tariffs by half and waived water charges. So Channi has time to get things done,” Kejriwal said.