Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday urged voters of Punjab to give five years to Charanjit Singh Channiwho, he said, in his 111-day tenure took several “people-friendly” decisions, including reducing power tariff by Rs 3 per unit, waiving electricity arrears and slashing fuel prices.
Addressing public meetings at Bassi Pathana and Fatehgarh Sahib, Gandhi said Amarinder Singh was ousted from the post as he refused to waive off electricity bills of poor.
“Why was Amarinder Singh removed? He was removed because he refused to wave off the electricity bills of people of Punjab. He told me that we can not do that because we have a contract with two power companies. I asked whether he has a contract with the power companies or he has a contract with people of Punjab. Then I spoke with Channi sahib and brought him [in place of Amarinder], Channi got back to me in 2-3 days and said that Punjab is waiving Rs 1,500 crore worth electricity bills of poor people. He also told me that he was reducing the petrol and diesel prices. I thought that he (Channi) is the right man who can transform Punjab,” he said.
“When I entered politics, I used to consider that leaders talk about policies and politics. I later understood that there are people and forces behind that leader. If you need to understand the politics, identify the forces behind the leader. I will give you an example. Can there be a force of farmers behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, It cannot be because he brought three black anti farmer laws. Only 2-3 billionaires were getting benefits from those black laws… they are (force behind) PM,” he said.
Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvinder Kejriwal, Gandhi said, “Can any leader of Congress party visit a terrorist’s house? But AAP leaders can sleep in terrorist’s house”.
He also hit out at Kejriwal for tendering apology to SAD leader Bikram Majithia. “I am facing 20-25 cases, I have not apologised to anybody. Channi ji never apologised to Majithia. It just means – darr Gaya ji.”