Opposition leaders criticize AAP government over freebies
Opposition leaders on Thursday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government for distributing freebies under the Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, accusing it of covering up its failures and luring voters ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Under the scheme, amounts of Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 were deposited into eligible women's accounts on Wednesday.
BJP spokesperson calls freebies political drama
Anil Sarin, spokesperson for the Punjab BJP, described the freebies as a political drama designed to deceive innocent voters. He noted that the AAP government had promised to provide Rs 60,000 to eligible women but has only registered 44 lakh out of over 1 crore eligible women in the state. Furthermore, the deposited amount covers only the next three months until September, which he called a betrayal of the people.
SAD leader accuses government of diverting attention
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal alleged that the state government is diverting public attention toward freebies to mask its incompetence. He pointed out that a single rainfall exposed the government's failures, with blocked sewers, contaminated water, and caved-in roads. Grewal stated that a government unable to provide basic infrastructure is now engaged in a cover-up operation.
Congress leader highlights infrastructure failures
Pawan Dewan, former president of the Ludhiana (Urban) District Congress Committee and ex-chairman of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board, questioned how a government incapable of running civic bodies could effectively govern the entire state. In a social media post on X, he criticized Minister Harjot Singh Bains's June 30 promise of a pothole-free and manhole-free Ludhiana, which was shattered by a recent drizzle that turned the city into a maze of water-filled pits and overflowing manholes. Dewan remarked that the government's promise had drowned.
Congress leader takes swipe at minister's bravado
Dewan further took a sharp swipe at Bains and the AAP government, recalling that during a June 12 visit to Ludhiana, the minister boasted that even if the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) failed to clean roads under its jurisdiction, the Municipal Corporation (MC) would step in, do the job, and send them the bill. Dewan noted that the rain-soaked reality has turned that bravado into farce, exposing how the AAP government's tall claims collapse when faced with ground realities. He also highlighted that the city is crippled by thousands of potholes and manholes, many of which are dangerously uncovered.
