AAP 'failed' to end gangsters, says Congress's Warring; Akali's Harsimrat takes on Mann govt

Tarn Taran (Punjab), Oct 30 (PTI) Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday alleged that the AAP government had "failed" to end the gangster culture in the state.

While campaigning for Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj for the November 11 Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll, Warring called for tough action against the gangsters lest they turn Punjab into an anarchic and lawless state.

"We can't let Punjab turn into 'jungle raj', which looks imminent if strong and tough measures are not taken right away," he said. "Once the Congress government is formed, we will set a short deadline for finishing crime and gangster culture in Punjab," he added.

Warring suggested "unprecedented situations and challenges need unorthodox and out-of-the-box solutions" to weed out gangsterism from the state.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal urged people to support the regional party, her party, and challenged the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to come up with one good thing they had done for the state.

The Bathinda MP, who has held several public meetings in the constituency for SAD candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, said her party was committed to extending the scope of the schemes meant for farmers and the poor, if it comes to power in 2027.

"We will provide houses for the homeless. The old age pension will be increased. A provision of five lakh jobs for youths. We are also committed to ensuring jobs for Punjabis only and will also restrict outsiders from purchasing land in Punjab," she said.

"The SAD has never lied for political gains. We have always fulfilled our promises, be it free power to farmers for tubewell or introducing social welfare schemes like old age pension, 'atta-dal' and 'shagun'," she said.

The politician alleged that the Congress reneged on its promise of loan waivers, while the AAP failed to rid the state of drug menace.

Harsimrat alleged that some AAP leaders were steeped in corruption and blamed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for the "rampant corruption and lawlessness" in Punjab.

She also targeted the AAP government over the arrest of the Deputy Inspector General Harcharan Singh Bhullar by the CBI in a bribery case.

Voting for the Tarn Taran bypoll will be held on November 11. The results will be announced on November 14.

The Tarn Taran assembly seat fell vacant following the death of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June. PTI CHS VN VN