Chandigarh: BJP leader Anurag Thakur termed the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party as “bad coins,” stating that the people of Punjab were fed up with their “corruption.” The leader made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate from Barnala assembly Kewal Singh Dhillon for the upcoming bypolls.

The bypolls for the four assembly seats—Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, and Barnala—are scheduled for November 20, with vote counting set for November 23.

“Both parties try to defraud people by making “false” promises to people,” Thakur stated in Barnala that the BJP’s vote share had increased in Punjab during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“People of Punjab are fed up with the corrupt AAP and the Congress. Both these parties are ‘khotay sikke’. People are looking at an alternative. People see a golden chance in the BJP and if it comes (to power) in Punjab will move ahead,” Thakur said.

Thakur accused the Bhagwant Mann government of failing to fulfill its election promises, including not providing Rs 1,000 per month to women as promised.

He said that the Punjab government raised fuel prices by increasing VAT and drove industrialists away due to its weak control over law and order.

“Neither the AAP government has any policy nor any clean intention. There has been daily news of crime, extortion and murder in Punjab. It matters little whether the state has a chief minister,” said the Hamirpur MP.

“Neither ‘jawan’, ‘kisan’ nor ‘naujawan’ is happy with the AAP,” he said.

Thakur also claimed that the paddy procurement issue arose because of the Mann government’s mismanagement.

The Punjab government has been blaming the Centre for “slow” paddy lifting and DAP fertiliser shortage.

“The government here went to sleep after being drubbed in the Lok Sabha polls. I feel Bhagwant Mann went on a leave for three months. No meeting was held,” Thakur said.

“The Centre sent Rs 44,000 crore to Punjab (for crop procurement). Farmers were forced to wait for many days for crop lifting in mandis,” he claimed.

(with agency inputs)