Chandigarh: Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Friday demanded immediately transfer of Rs 51,000 to every eligible woman in Punjab, claiming the amount represented the dues for 51 months of the AAP’s rule under the third guarantee announced by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.Dhillon termed the Aam Aadmi Party‘s conduct a historic betrayal of Punjab’s women and alleged that, with the consent of Kejriwal, chief minister Bhagwant Mann cheated them on two counts. First, by transferring only Rs 1,000 per month to women from the general category and Rs 1,500 per month to Scheduled Caste women, the Mann govt has effectively denied the Rs 51,000 due for 51 months under Kejriwal’s original promise of Rs 1,000 per month to every eligible woman.Second, Kejriwal’s guarantee was meant for every woman above 18 years of age in Punjab, covering more than 1.25 crore women. Yet, the Mann govt claims to have transferred money to only 36 lakh women, meaning that more than 89 lakh women have been denied even the promised Rs 1,000 monthly assistance.Dhillon alleged that AAP mastered the art of misleading people through false claims and propaganda, and claimed that the actual number of beneficiaries might be much lower than the 36 lakh cited by the Punjab govt.Recalling Kejriwal’s speech at the Moga rally, Dhillon said the AAP leader declared, “What Kejriwal says, he does.” However, Dhillon alleged that the promise turned out to be a calculated attempt to mislead Punjab’s women and secure votes through false guarantees.Dhillon said when asked how AAP would fund the scheme, Kejriwal claimed there was no shortage of money and promised that curbing Rs 20,000 crore worth of illegal sand mining would finance it. “But after AAP came to power, illegal mining has not stopped; it has increased manifold. By Kejriwal’s own yardstick, this raises serious questions about Bhagwant Mann and AAP leaders,” Dhillon said.He said the BJP would continue to fight for Punjab’s women until every promised rupee reached their bank accounts.
