Ahead of assembly polls in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the party would focus on generating employment opportunities in the state. Addressing a press conference in Mohali, Kejriwal today revealed a 10-point agenda of the party for the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab.
"We have prepared a 10-point 'Punjab Model' to make the state developed and prosperous if AAP comes to power," Kejriwal said today.
"We will make such a prosperous Punjab that the youth who went to go to Canada for employment will return in the next 5 years," he added.
Speaking further, Kejriwal today said, "Our aim is to make Punjab a drug-free state. There is a tie-up between politicians and drug mafia in Punjab. If AAP forms the government, then we will break this syndicate."
On sacrilege incident, Kejriwal said, "There has been growing number of sacrilege in Punjab. Due to this, there is a law and order issue in the state. Those who are accused of sacrilege will be brought to justice. We bring back peace and harmony in the state."
He added, "Punjab has a debt of Rs 3 lakh crore. We will make a corruption-free state."
The Delhi chief minister also said that the AAP would focus on improving education and schools in the state, and 16,000 mohalla clinics will be set up in Punjab and that the party will provide free medical treatment to all citizens of the state.
Earlier, the Delhi chief minister had said the AAP would provide Rs 1,000 to every woman, who is above the age of 18 years.
Punjab Election 2022
Punjab is likely to see a five-cornered contest this election, a marked shift from a traditional duel between the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa will be held between February 10 and March 7 in seven phases with the counting of votes on March 10, the Election Commission said.
Punjab has a total of 117 assembly seats.
It is going to be a keenly-watched contest with the Congress, the AAP, the SAD-BSP alliance, and the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) battling to form the government in the state, with a probable entry of farmers' front in the form of Sanyukt Samaj Morcha.
Nineteen farmer bodies, which participated in a protest against the Centre's three farm laws, have also declared to test electoral waters.
Whether they contest all assembly seats, is yet to be seen.
Meanwhile, the SAD and the AAP have announced their candidates for the polls. The former has named candidates for over 90 assembly seats while the latter has declared names of 104 contestants.
Congress is yet to declare any candidate, though deliberations within the party's screening committee are underway.
In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, Congress had ended the SAD-BJP combine's ten-year regime by bagging 77 seats out of the total 117-assembly segments in the state.
The AAP had managed to get 20 seats, the SAD-BJP won 18 seats, and two seats went into the kitty of Lok Insaaf Party (LIP).
After by-elections at some seats, the Congress at present has 80 seats, AAP 17, SAD 14, BJP 2, LIP 2, while Bholath and Jaito seats remain vacant.
(With inputs from agencies)
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