As voting for the 117-seat Punjab Assembly continues, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday accused Aam Aadmi Party Conveyor Arvind Kejriwal of wanting to win “by hook or by crook”. Earlier today, the Congress leader had also lashed out at the Opposition parties, alleging that they were “taking support from Dera Sacha Sauda”.
“Arvind Kejriwal has taken support from Khalistani outfits…from those who want to divide the nation…those who are against the country. This support is very dangerous. Kejriwal wants to rule, even if it means breaking the nation. But his wishes will not come to fruition,” Channi assured during an interaction with Times Now today.
Channi also quoted recent remarks made by former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas to underscore his point. For the uninitiated, the poet-turned-politician had recently accused the Delhi Chief Minister of having links with separatist outfits. “Arvind Kejriwal is not saying that he’ll oppose Khalistanis. If he does that, people who have invested in him will be unhappy,” he had added .
Talking to media before going to the polling booth to cast his vote, Channi today insisted that the Congress would retain power in the state and was headed for a two-third majority. “We will be giving free education to all in the state and also give scholarships to Other Backward Communities (OBCs) and weaker sections, and we will formulate a policy on this soon after we come to power,” he added.
Earlier today, the Congress leader had taken to Twitter claiming that the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP were taking support from Dera Sacha Sauda. “Let them team up, people of Punjab are teaming up against these beadbi partners and will teach them a lesson with their votes. Bhagwant Mann and AAP have also seeked Dera support in Dhuri (sic),” he had added.
Voting for the Punjab Assembly took place today with over 2.14 crore voters deciding the fate of 1,304 candidates. Of these, 231 belong to national parties, 250 are from state level parties, 362 from unrecognised parties and 461 are independent candidates.
