India, Aug. 3 -- Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, alleging that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was "entertaining people with jokes and rhetoric" instead of focusing on governance and public welfare. Addressing a 'Vimukt Jati Samaj' Sammelan in Punjab's Faridkot, Saini claimed that the Punjab government had failed to fulfil its primary responsibility of working in the interest of the people. He asserted that people from Punjab who meet him in Chandigarh often express a desire for governance reforms similar to those implemented by the BJP government in Haryana. Also Read - Gujarat: 22 children die of Chandipura virus this monsoon Saini also expressed confidence that the BJP would emerge victorious in the Punjab Assembly elections, due early next year, claiming that voters had made up their minds to support the party. Highlighting the BJP government's policies in Haryana, Saini said that immediately after assuming office, the state Cabinet approved a 10 per cent reservation for the Deprived Scheduled Caste (DSC) community. He alleged that, in contrast, the reservation quota for the community was being withdrawn in Punjab. He further claimed that despite clearing the selection process and medical examinations, several DSC candidates in Punjab were denied appointments at the time of joining. Saini said that if the BJP formed the next government in Punjab, the benefits of reservation for the DSC community would be restored. Also Read - CJP hails SC clarification on FIRs against NEET protesters Targeting both the ruling AAP and the Congress, Saini alleged that years of neglect under successive governments had deprived the people of Punjab of better governance and welfare measures. He maintained that Punjab could benefit from policies similar to those implemented in Haryana. The Haryana Chief Minister said his government had provided jobs to 604 DSC candidates as part of the recruitment of 5,600 police personnel under the reservation policy. Referring to the recent recruitment of excise inspectors in Punjab, Saini alleged that the exercise exposed irregularities in the state's recruitment process. He claimed that candidates who had written unusual entries alongside their names were selected and noted that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the recruitment results. Alleging that jobs were being "sold" in Punjab, he accused the state government of betraying unemployed youth. Saini also questioned the AAP government's record on fulfilling its election promises. He said the BJP had fulfilled 70 of the 217 promises made before the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections during its one-and-a-half-year tenure. In contrast, he asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal how many of the 57 promises made before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections had been implemented.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.