New Delhi: As poll-related activities reach a frenzy in Punjab right before Assembly elections, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has dialled up the heat on opposing parties, making veiled statements about how the Amarinder Singh government in the state was a mere puppet of the BJP.
"We knew something was going wrong. Hence we changed the leadership," Gandhi said at her election rally in Kotkapura, without explicitly naming the ex Punjab Chief Minister. She added that the Congress had chosen Charanjit Singh Channi as he was one of the people and knew their pulse better than anyone.
This is the first time either of the Gandhi siblings - who all along backed Navjot Sidhu through his rebellion against former Punjab CM- broke their silence on the change of guard in Punjab.
Hitting out at the Aam Admi Party (AAP) in the state, Gandhi Said AAP has the same agenda and plan to govern Punjab from Delhi as per the dictates of Arvind Kejriwal, adding "so, don't repeat the last mistake by supporting the AAP.
"As the BJP came to power at the Centre by misleading the people in 2014, showcasing its Gujarat model, the AAP is also treading the same path by selling its Delhi model in Punjab to grab power. I want you not to be get misled as both Gujarat and Delhi models exist only on papers and in advertisements," she said.
"As BJP's Gujarat model has pushed country into a big crisis, I don't wish the same situation for Punjab by choosing the AAP in the state," Priyanka cautioned during her speech. She asked the audience whether they wanted a party of "data gimmicks" during times of crisis or one which recognised their faults and changed leadership accordingly.
Punjab will go to the polls on February 20 and the results will be declared on March 10, as per the Election Commission of India. A total of 1,304 candidates are left in the fray.