AAP accuses Union home minister Amit Shah of threatening to topple Punjab government, asks if he'll use ED

BATHINDA: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called Union home minister Amit Shah's statement that the Punjab govt will not last long after the Lok Sabha election results are announced on June 4 as an open threat to an elected govt and the over 3 crore population of the state.
Campaigning at different places, both AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann rushed to Bathinda for a joint press meet and termed Shah's remark at a rally in Ludhiana on Sunday as against the spirit of democracy.
"Such types of threats to a party that only two years ago won 92 of the 117 seats in the state have never been heard in the country. You have three MLAs; how will you topple the govt? Will you use ED, CBI or Article 356 to impose President's Rule? What will you pay to break our MLAs? Stop threatening Punjab and take care of yourself," said Kejriwal, claiming that it was clear both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah hate Punjab.
Kejriwal: BJP will once more face anger of Punjabis
Kejriwal said, “You witnessed the anger of people when you stopped farmers from marching to Delhi by fixing nails on the roads in 2021. You will face the anger of Punjabis again.” The Delhi CM reiterated his charges of democracy in danger, claiming “BJP wants to retain power by putting leaders from opposition in jail.”

“The BJP govt aimed to stop AAP by putting its leaders in prison. In Maharashtra, it ensured divisions in NCP and Shiv Sena. It put former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in jail and is now talking about putting RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav in jail. Like Pakistan, where elections were held after imprisoning former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and in Russia, where Vladimir Putin jailed his opponents to win elections, the same atmosphere is being created in the country. Under such circumstances, if Modi is not defeated, democracy cannot be saved,” said Kejriwal.
Kejriwal claimed that the aim of BJP is to topple AAP govt and stop the free electricity being given to people of the state. “If you want to continue free electricity, make AAP win all 13 seats of Punjab, otherwise BJP will stop your free electricity. If we have more MPs in Parliament, we will be able to fight the central govt and continue the free electricity and other facilities,” he said.
Accusing BJP of dividing parties, making lawmakers resign, engineering defections and resorting to malpractices, a s seen in the Chandigarh mayoral election, Mann said the BJP was speaking of toppling state govts.
“Punjabis made maximum sacrifices for the country but instead of rewarding the state, they are threatening us. They want everyone to bow before the Delhi darbar. We don’t fear anyone.
People have made up their mind to stand by AAP. We will come out as a big force on June 4,” said Mann, adding BJP thinks that everyone could be purchased but they must keep it in mind that “we (AAP) are not saleable.”
Hitting out at the PM for his election campaign speeches, Mann said that although Hindi language has a vast vocabulary, Modi knowns only 10 words, “Hindustan-Pakistan, mandirmasjid, manglasutra-Muslim, kabristan-shamshan ghat and cow-buffalo”. “He is doing politics of hatred and polarisation. In 2014, he called himself a pradhan sewak, became a chowkidar in 2019 and now proclaims himself to be an avatar of god,” he said.
While campaigning for AAP Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat candidate Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar in Abohar, Mann said the state govt has started supplying canal water for irrigation of cotton fields in the area. “For us, Abohar is not the tail end (of canals) but comes first. It is the tail end when you see it from Chandigarh,” he said. Mann said efforts were on to make canal water available for irrigation across the state to cut the reliance on tubewells in order to save groundwater. The CM said he had big plans for bringing food processing companies to Ferozepur. “Kinnows will have a market in Punjab. The state govt will serve kinnows in mid-day meals at schools. We buy bananas from Kerala for children, and now, we will give them our kinnows from Abohar and litchis from Pathankot,” he said.