Punjab women protest near Arvind Kejriwal’s house, he blames BJP, Congress​on January 4, 2025 at 11:20 am

Punjab women protest near Arvind Kejriwal’s house, he blames BJP, Congress

​Punjab women protest near Arvind Kejriwal’s house, he blames BJP, Congress Punjab women protest near Arvind Kejriwal’s house, he blames BJP, Congress   

High drama prevailed outside former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Saturday as a group of women from Punjab held a protest over unfulfilled promises made by the AAP government in the state. They were later detained by the Delhi Police, with Kejriwal alleging that they were from the BJP and the Congress.

The protesters accused the AAP of not fulfilling its poll promise of providing Rs 1,000 to every woman in Punjab. The development comes weeks ahead of elections in Delhi, where the AAP is banking on its poll promise of Rs 2,100 to women for a fourth consecutive term.

“We have come from Amritsar to raise our issue. Do not cheat the women of Delhi as you did with the women of Punjab… Do not make a promise of Rs 2,100 to the women of Delhi,” a woman protester said, targetting AAP.

Another woman, who claimed to have come from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, said, “People there are poor, they (Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann) promised to give Rs 1,000 to every woman. They formed the government by lying.”

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the women “belonged to Congress and BJP” and asserted that the two parties should officially announce their alliance for the Delhi polls.

“Those women belong to their (Congress and BJP) parties. They have not come from Punjab. The women in Punjab are with us. They have faith in AAP. The Congress and BJP should officially announce that they are contesting elections together against AAP in Delhi,” he said.

The protest comes amid an ongoing controversy over the AAP’s proposed Mahila Samman Yojana. Last month, the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), in a public notice, said the scheme does not exist and has not been approved by the Delhi government.

Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi also kick-started the registration of the scheme to give Rs 2,100 to eligible women. However, the AAP has come under severe criticism from the BJP and its INDIA bloc ally Congress. The issue escalated after the Lt Governor ordered an inquiry into the issue.