Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal will visit Punjab on Tuesday. The two-day visit comes months ahead of assembly elections in the state, where AAP is showcasing its 'Delhi model' to emerge on top.
Party leader Raghav Chadha said that Kejriwal will land at Amritsar airport at about 3pm and visit Jalandhar's famous Devi Talab temple to offer prayers at 6pm.
"During the Navratras, Arvind Kejriwal will pray for peace, love, mutual brotherhood and a prosperous Punjab," Chadha said on Monday.
No other programme has been officially announced by the party.
AAP, which is already the main opposition party in Punjab after winning 20 seats in 2017 is trying to take advantage of the flux in state's ruling party, the Congress. It is also highlighting the issues in the Akalis' 10-year-long rule to emerge on top in assembly elections this time.
And AAP has the power crisis issue too at hand, for which it is blaming the Centre and the state government.
"It is the responsibility of the Union government to supply coal to the public and private thermal plants in Punjab, but the Modi government has been reluctant to supply coal under a conspiracy. Coal is not being supplied to thermal plants in states, including Punjab and Delhi, which has led to the threat of thermal plant shutdowns and power outages," said AAP MLA Aman Arora.
{{/usCountry}}"It is the responsibility of the Union government to supply coal to the public and private thermal plants in Punjab, but the Modi government has been reluctant to supply coal under a conspiracy. Coal is not being supplied to thermal plants in states, including Punjab and Delhi, which has led to the threat of thermal plant shutdowns and power outages," said AAP MLA Aman Arora.
{{/usCountry}}During his previous visits, Kerjiwal already made a populist pitch by "guaranteeing" 300 units of free power for residential consumers, waiver of pending bills and round-the-clock supply if his party comes to power in the state.
In September, when Kejriwal visited Ludiana, he offered six promises in Punjab - AAP's "health guarantee" - if the party comes to power in the state. Among his offers were free health benefits at public hospitals across the state, treatment at which he promised would be on par with private healthcare. He also said that similar to Delhi, all medicines, tests, treatments, and operations would be free of cost if his party came to power in the state.
For now, the biggest question in front of the AAP convenor is to name a chief ministerial candidate for Punjab, which he has promised will be named in due time.