Eye on 2022 assembly elections, BJP kicks off its ‘Nava Punjab’ campaign

Oct 28,2021

With the 2021 Punjab Assembly elections around the corner and the ruling Congress rocked by back-to-back crises, the BJP on Thursday flagged off its poll campaign in the state.

Senior BJP leaders including Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the state election in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Punjab Party affairs in-charge Dushyant Gautam, Minister of State Meenakshi Lekhi besides others sounded the poll bugle with the slogan 'Nava Punjab BJP De Naal' (The new Punjab is with BJP).

Addressing reporters in Chandigarh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the party was aiming at creating a new Punjab that will be free from the drug menace and offer opportunities to the youth. He said the BJP will be contesting on 117 seats in the coming assembly elections and we will go to the people with an outlined agenda of bringing prosperity for everyone and commit to wipe out Mafia raj from Punjab.

"We have launched this campaign and ‘Nava Punjab’ means a progressive state free from addiction, unemployment and full of opportunities as Punjab is a vibrant state," he said.

Shekhawat parried questions on the party's chief ministerial face, the opposition of BJP leaders by the farmer unions, and the ongoing feud between Captain Amrinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

“Punjabis are disgruntled with the miserable performance of Congress, AAP and SAD who will be routed at the hustings by the people," said Shekhawat, adding that Opposition parties are totally bereft of any vision to lead the state to prosperity.

The Union Minister noted that the BJP in the last seven years has delivered justice to the Sikhs who suffered in the 1984 riots. Listing the central government’s achievements in the state, he said, “The black list was abolished, the Kartarpur corridor was opened after the partition by the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, GST has been removed from langar, Harminder Sahib given the FCR status, Bathinda AIMS, Amritsar AIMS, Sangrur and Ferozepur have got PGI satellite centres, two new airports and mega infrastructure projects took off.”

Asked about the farmers’ agitation, the BJP leader said that 11 rounds of talks have been conducted with the farmer unions. He further said that the government also took the extra step of stalling the three agriculture laws for 18 months.

"Our initiative to address the issue can never be doubted. Our doors are always open," Shekhawat said.

Addressing the BSF jurisdiction row, Shekhawat said that national security can never be compromised as the incidents of drug smuggling and drones carrying weapons have increased manifold.

"Former CM Capt Amarinder Singh had raised this pertinent issue with Home Minister Amit Shah a number of times. Present Chief Minister Charanjit Channi had also met the Home Minister and brought up this issue. The assembly session which was called on November 8 is nothing but a strategy to digress the people from the main issues of good governance," he said.