Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday held an energetic campaign rally in support of the BJP candidate Harjeet Singh Sandhu contesting the Tarn Taran Assembly by-election in Punjab. Addressing a massive public meeting, she urged people to vote for the party’s candidate in the 11 November by-election. In her address, the Chief Minister highlighted the development model of the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the achievements of the BJP Government in Delhi through its welfare-oriented policies. She said this by-election is not merely about one seat but about deciding the direction of Punjab’s future and development.
The Chief Minister’s visit primarily focused on strengthening the party organisation in Punjab, finalising forthcoming political strategies, and mobilising support for the party candidate in Tarn Taran. She began her visit by offering prayers at the Darbar Sahib in Tarn Taran, seeking peace, harmony, and prosperity for the state. Later, she visited the Thakurdwara Temple and interacted with devotees. Delhi Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accompanied her during the visit. Addressing the rally, the Chief Minister expressed joy at being on the sacred land of Tarn Taran, blessed by Guru Arjun Dev Ji. She emphasised that the bond between Punjab and Delhi is not merely geographical but deeply cultural, social, and emotional. The people of Punjab, she said, have played a vital role in Delhi’s growth and progress.
Referring to the deteriorating situation in Punjab, where incidents of murder, extortion, land grabbing, and looting have become frequent, the Chief Minister said that everyone knows who is responsible for this decline. She observed that the state which once fed the entire nation is now grappling with the menace of drugs. Almost every household is affected, mothers’ eyes are filled with tears, and the youth’s future is darkening.
The Chief Minister said that this dire situation is the outcome of the Kejriwal Government’s failed policies, which had promised a “war against drugs” but instead protected the very system that sustains it. She questioned why Punjab’s condition has deteriorated so badly and why the state has been pushed into such massive debt. “Governments come and go,” she said, “but the burden of debt remains on the shoulders of the people.”
She accused the Kejriwal Government of introducing the “Land Pooling” scheme to grab people’s land, which had to be withdrawn after public outrage. Now, she added, the government is selling public lands. “When no new roads, bridges, or colleges have been built, where has all the money gone?” she asked. The Chief Minister asserted that the funds have been squandered on hooliganism, corruption, and the luxurious lifestyles of selfish leaders.
She said that just as the Kejriwal Government misused public funds in Delhi, the same pattern is now being repeated in Punjab, where the hard-earned money of the people is being spent on personal extravagance. She questioned who actually holds the authority of Punjab’s Chief Minister when key administrative decisions are dictated by leaders sitting in Delhi. “What is Kejriwal’s connection with Punjab?” she asked. “He lives in a government bungalow here and turns it into a ‘Sheeshmahal,’ just as he did in Delhi, using public money.”
The Chief Minister reminded the audience that during the floods in Punjab, when lakhs of people were affected, neither the state government nor any representative of the ruling party was seen standing with the people. During that difficult time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Delhi extended a helping hand to Punjab, sending 60 truckloads of relief material from the Delhi Government.
She said the looting of Punjab’s natural resources, especially through illegal sand mining, has devastated riverbanks, worsened floods, and caused massive losses to farmers. Today, both traders and farmers are forced to live in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. The Chief Minister urged people to reflect: “Is today’s Punjab the same Punjab our martyrs dreamed of and sacrificed their lives for?” She warned that just as Delhi once suffered under mismanagement and corruption, Punjab too is now paying the price of poor governance and misguided policies.
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