Punjab CM slams Kejriwal on farm debt waiver remark
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Jul, 2021 11:15 AM
Chandigarh, July 16 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over its criticism of his government's decision on debt waiver for farm labourers and landless farmers, saying it exposed the Arvind Kejriwal party's "anti-farmer stance".
"The AAP reaction was on expected lines, considering that the party had never shown any interest in doing anything for the farming community," he said, noting that the Kejriwal government in Delhi was among the first to notify one of the "controversial and draconian" farm laws of the Central government.
"The fact is that AAP does not care for the welfare of the agricultural community and is opposed to any decision that is in favour of the farmers," said Amarinder Singh in a statement.
"Unlike AAP, whose pre-poll promises are nothing but mere theatrics to woo the voters, the Congress government believes in implementing its promises," he said, reminding AAP that the debt waiver for farm labourers and landless farmers was not an announcement made on the eve of the 2022 Assembly polls but a promise contained in the Punjab Congress manifesto.
Despite the severe financial constraints faced by his government and compounded by the Covid pandemic, he was committed to the implementation of each of the 2017 election promises, he asserted.
Ridiculing Kejriwal's promise of free power units in every state he is visiting to kick off party's poll campaign, the Chief Minister dubbed the AAP leader as a "master of manipulation".
Even in Delhi, where the AAP government claims to be giving free power, an analysis of the data shows that what the citizens of the national capital are getting in terms of relief in power costs was actually less than in Punjab, apart from the fact that the farmers of Delhi had got not a paisa worth of support or relief from the Kejriwal government, he added.
It was evident, said the Chief Minister, that AAP had "manipulated the figures to spread misinformation -- an art they have mastered".
Amarinder Singh noted that even after six years of AAP in power, the people of Delhi were deprived of even basic amenities like water and healthcare facilities.
The much-touted Delhi model of governance had proved to be a total failure, he said, adding that neither Punjab nor any other stated wanted a slice of it.
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On the 130th day, the cumulative Covid vaccination coverage stood at 20,06,62,456 doses, including 15,71,49,593 first doses and 4,35,12,863 second doses, as per data available at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. India is the second country after the US, which took 124 days, to achieve this level.
At several places including outside the Delhi borders, the farmers burnt effigies of the Central government, hoisted black flags on their homes, farms or vehicles to condemn the farm laws and demanding their rollback as over 470 farmers' lives have been lost in the past six months.
Doctors suspect that the sudden surge in mucormycosis, or “black fungus” infection, may be linked to the use of steroids to treat COVID-19. It can result in breathing problems and coughing blood.
India broke its own previous record of Covid deaths in 24 hours after the the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday said the nation recorded 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection.
Cyclone Tauktae has claimed the lives of at least 12 people and close to 200,000 have been evacuated. The impact of the cyclone so intense that it has uprooted trees and electricity poles.
