Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Chief Spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal strongly reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab, describing it as a “flop show.” Dhaliwal said that the Prime Minister’s visit was not only disappointing for Punjab, but that the statements made by him were hollow and intended to mislead the people.
Addressing a press conference along with AAP leader Gurpratap Singh on Saturday, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal launched a direct attack on the BJP, saying that those who can steal donations in the name of a sacred place like the Ram Mandir can never be honest towards the nation. He said that the BJP openly stole donations by exploiting the faith of people across the country in the name of the construction of the Ram Mandir.
Dhaliwal said that Prime Minister Modi has worked only to benefit his favourite industrialists, Ambani and Adani. He said that the Union Government has withheld thousands of crores of Punjab’s Rural Development Fund (RDF) and other funds. When we take loans for Punjab’s development, they accuse us of mismanagement, whereas the truth is that the Union Government is sitting on Punjab’s rightful funds.
On the issue of drugs, Dhaliwal held the BJP accountable, saying that drugs spread in Punjab during the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance government. He said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been continuously urging the Union Government to install modern anti-drone systems along Punjab’s 532-kilometre international border to stop the smuggling of drugs and weapons through drones from Pakistan, but the Centre has not taken any effective step in this direction till date. He further said that the Prime Minister remained completely silent on the issue of farmers as well. Despite the martyrdom of 720 farmers and the promise of ₹1,600 crore for flood victims, the Union Government has not given even a single penny till date.