Targeting a major vote bank in the agrarian state of Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister on Sunday promised to make farmers in Punjab debt free by end of 2018 if the party was voted to power in assembly elections early next year.
Kejriwal, while releasing the Kisan manifesto of his party, said the party will implement the Swaminathan Panel report on agriculture and ensure that no more farmers in the ‘Green Revolution’ state commit suicide.
As a part of his promises, he talked about a high-level inquiry committee against four Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ministers “for allegedly driving farmers to commit suicide”. Kejriwal also said the four ministers namely, agriculture minister Tota Singh, food and supplies minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia and rural minister Sikander Singh Maluka “will be sent to jail along with deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal if AAP wrested power in 2017.”
At the Baghapurana Dana Mandi in Moga, Kejriwal alleged: “Tota Singh killed farmers with his spurious sprays and chemicals. Kairon embezzled farmers’ foodgrain worth ₹12,000 crore and Majithia ate away the youth of Punjab with his drug business. AAP will open inquiry against each one of them and they will be in jail. Sukhbir Singh Badal will also be in jail. I promise all their properties will be attached and that money will be used in making roads and schools. Even Badals’ buses will be confiscated and given to unemployed youths.”
Receiving loud cheers from the crowds Kejriwal, “I said I will send Majithia to jail and how he has filed a defamation case against me. Kisaan bhaiyon, kya maine kuch galat kaha? Majithia nashey ka dhanda karta hai ya nahi?” “Either you put me behind bars within four months or I will do so after poll results,” said Kejriwal.
Interestingly, after much political fiasco and his ministers being arrested on grave charges of sexual harassment and corruption, he termed his own party as the “cleanest” and said whatever dirt enters AAP it is cleaned with ‘jhaadu’. “Ours is the only party that has sacked three of its own ministers,” he said.
