Lok Sabha polls: Arvind Kejriwal shown black flags while campaigning in Punjab; slams Narendra Modi over 'unfulfilled' poll promises

Sangrur (Punjab): Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who started campaigning for the AAP candidates in Punjab on Monday, was greeted with black flags by a group of protesters in Sangrur district. Kejriwal commenced his poll campaign in favour of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur and took out a roadshow from Khanauri to Barnala. In Khanauri, a group of protesters showed black flags to the AAP chief for allegedly defaming Punjab over the drugs menace. “He (Kejriwal) had defamed Punjab over the drugs issue. And then tendered an unconditional apology to Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia (over the issue),” one of the protesters said, adding that the Delhi chief minister should have sought an apology from the people of the state. [caption id=“attachment_6627621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Reuters[/caption] Meanwhile, Kejriwal alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had not fulfilled even a single poll promise made to the people. He accused them of cheating the people who reposed faith on them. The AAP leader accused Singh of reneging on almost all the poll promises. He said the Badals would have to pay a “heavy price” for their alleged misdeeds and the desecration incidents in the state. Kejriwal accused the Modi government of backtracking on the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations for the farmers, saying the Delhi government had started paying the equivalent price to the peasants as per the report. The chief minister pointed out that the health services and education had gone for a sea change in Delhi, and electricity was made available to the people there Re 1 per unit. “Why couldn’t it be replicated in Punjab?” he asked. Listing out the achievements of the AAP government during its four-year tenure in Delhi, Kejriwal said if the intentions of those at the helm were genuine, there was nothing that could not be achieved or attained. Addressing the crowd in Lehragaga town, Kejriwal lauded the performance of Mann as an MP, stating that he had done a commendable job by flagging the core issues and concerns of all sections of the society. He also credited Mann for the tribute given by the Parliament for the first time to the ‘sahibzadas’ of the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Kejriwal said Mann was instrumental in bringing back “thousands of youths” trapped on the foreign lands. Mann is seeking re-election from Sangrur, where he is pitted against Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Congress’ Kewal Dhillon.