The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday criticised the Congress over its leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s statement regarding free power, monthly allowance for women and other freebies, stating his remarks had exposed the party’s anti-people and feudal mindset.
AAP state president and cabinet minister Aman Arora said Warring’s remarks about restricting electricity subsidies and financial assistance for women based on need raised serious questions about the Congress’s agenda for Punjab.
He was reacting to Warring’s statements at an online talk show recently about limiting subsidies to genuinely deserving people.
Addressing a press conference, Arora warned that if the Congress came to power in Punjab in 2027, it would snatch away free electricity, the ₹10 lakh Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna and financial assistance for women, while bringing back toll plazas and imposing higher electricity and canal water charges.
“Congress wants to deny ordinary Punjabis welfare benefits while its own MPs, MLAs and former ministers continued to enjoy subsidies,” Arora said, asking the opposition party’s top leadership to clarify whether these schemes would continue under a Congress government.
Challenging Congress leaders to lead by example, Arora asked why party leaders, former ministers, MLAs and their families continued to benefit from government subsidies instead of voluntarily surrendering them if they genuinely believed that those who did not need assistance should be excluded.
{{/usCountry}}Challenging Congress leaders to lead by example, Arora asked why party leaders, former ministers, MLAs and their families continued to benefit from government subsidies instead of voluntarily surrendering them if they genuinely believed that those who did not need assistance should be excluded.
{{/usCountry}}“While the AAP government has been providing free electricity for four years and financial assistance to women for around six months, I have not seen Congress leaders publicly relinquish these benefits,” he said.
Backing Arora’s criticism, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu said Warring’s statement exposed Congress’ anti-people agenda and its intention to burden ordinary Punjabis financially by taking away facilities that had brought relief to millions of families.
“Warring’s statement reflects the direction in which the Congress wants to take Punjab. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly warned that traditional political parties will target the facilities provided to ordinary families if they returned to power. Warring has now placed that agenda before the public himself,” he said.
Pannu said the people of Punjab would not allow the Congress to reverse the progress made in electricity, healthcare, women’s welfare, irrigation and education.