Ludhiana, Jan 8 (IANS) In a strong political message, Aam Aadmi Party Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Thursday, met the newly elected Zila Parishad and Block Samiti members and asserted that the state has decisively broken away from the era of fear and manipulated elections, while announcing the AAP government will now launch a full-scale war against gangsters on the lines of the 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' (War against Drugs) campaign.
Citing the AAP's sweeping victory of more than 70 per cent seats in the Panchayat polls as a mandate for clean politics and honest governance, the AAP Chief Kejriwal said that Punjab had witnessed the cleanest local body elections in its history, with not even a single vote shifted, while CM Mann underlined that pro-people governance had forced traditional parties to rewrite their poll manifestos.
On the issue related to the Akal Takht, CM Mann said he would appear before the Akal Takht with all facts and requested that the proceedings be broadcast live on all media channels.
"I will appear there not as a Chief Minister, but as a humble and devout Sikh. Sri Akal Takht Sahib is sacred for every Sikh and is the highest temporal seat of our community. Even though the President of the country will be visiting the Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, I will still ensure my presence before the Sri Akal Takht Sahib," he added.
He unequivocally asserted that for him, Sri Akal Takht Sahib is above everything.
"Any order received from there (Sri Akal Takht Sahib) will be obeyed in true letter and spirit. The command of Sri Akal Takht Sahib was, is and will always remain supreme for me and my family. It is a highly revered place from where Sikhs derive divine peace and strength," CM Mann said.
Addressing the gathering of the elected representatives in Ludhiana, Kejriwal said, "First of all, I congratulate all of you who have been elected in such large numbers as members of the district councils and block committees. You must be happy today because the people have entrusted you with a new responsibility. It is a matter of great pride that in these elections, the AAP has won more than 70 per cent of the total seats. These are your party's seats."
Recalling the previous panchayat elections held in the state in past, the former Delhi Chief Minister said that traditionally, panchayat elections were won by the ruling party through force and manipulation.
"In 2013, panchayat elections were held one year after the state government was formed. In 2018 as well, elections were held one year after the government came to power in 2017. Despite that, there was rampant booth capturing, 'goondagardi' and coercion, and only then did they win," Kejriwal added.
Contrasting the panchayat elections held in the past with the present times, Kejriwal said, "Today, after four years of our government, elections for block committees and district councils were held and not even the slightest coercion was done. Look at the results. There are more than 600 seats where candidates won by less than 100 votes. Out of these, more than 350 seats were won by the Opposition. There are many seats where Congress or Akali Dal candidates won by just one vote. Have you ever heard that a ruling party candidate lost by one vote?"
He added that if the AAP wanted to misuse power, it would have been very easy.
"If we wanted to indulge in coercion, we could have just called the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and got our candidate declared elected. Shifting one vote here or there is not difficult. But we did not do that. We did not come into politics for this."
--IANS
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