Cong decision to project Channi as CM face desperate attempt: Mayawati

Chandigarh, Feb 8 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati on Tuesday described the Congress party's decision to declare incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi as its chief ministerial face in Punjab as a desperate attempt to revive its sinking fortunes in the state.

The BSP supremo, who addressed a large gathering here along with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal, in Nawanshahr said: "The Congress party only remembers Dalits at the time of elections. Once the elections are over they will sideline Charanjit Channi who is even now being remote controlled from Delhi."

She also asked Channi to understand why he had been promoted in the party, saying the Congress party had a past history of using the Dalit community during elections.

She also pointed out that it would have been better and more befitting if Channi had taken the blessings of Guru Ravidas-ji after being appointed the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress party.

"I appeal to the Ravidas samaj to make Channi realise the value of Guru Ravidas-ji", Mayawati added in her first election rally ahead of polling for 117 seats of the Assembly on February 20.

The BSP president, while expressing confidence that the SAD-BSP alliance would sweep the polls, said: "We all have to work unitedly to install Sukhbir Badal as the next chief minister of the state."

She said she was confident that with Badal as the next chief minister special schemes would be launched to bring in all-round improvement in the life of the weaker sections of society.

In her message on the occasion, Mayawati said while the Congress party was dying a natural death across the country and its days were numbered in Punjab said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was also on its way out. "People realise the BJP has a corporate mindset and will make it meet the same fate as the Congress party."

Speaking about Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mayawati said people should see the conditions in Delhi for themselves before thinking of reposing faith in AAP in Punjab.

Speaking on the occasion, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal stated that after Mayawati's visit to Punjab, the SAD-BSP tsunami was set to sweep the state.

He said the Punjabis felt cheated by the Congress party which had done nothing and wasted five years by scrapping or curtailing all social welfare benefits given to Punjabis by Parkash Singh Badal, be it scrapping blue cards or curtailing old-age pension and shagun scheme.

He said similarly Punjabis could not trust AAP which had an anti-Punjab agenda.

He said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal did not have any attachment with Punjab.

"Kejriwal has taken an anti-Punjab stance in the Supreme Court on key issues and even demanded transfer of Punjab's river waters to Haryana and Delhi, closure of its thermal plants and registration of criminal cases against farmers who were forced to burn their paddy stubble."

Badal also announced that all blue cards which had been deleted by the Congress government would be restored within one month of formation of the SAD-BSP government.

He also announced that Rs 2,000 per month would be given to the woman head of below poverty line families, all consumers would be given 400 units of power free of cost, Rs 10 lakh medical insurance cover would be given to all and that students will be eligible to a Rs 10 lakh loan for higher studies, besides 33 per cent reservation in technical institutions (government school students).

He also announced that all those who did not have a home would be given a five marla plot of land and that a 500 bed medical college would be established in every district of the state.