Aam Aadmi Party MP Rajya Sabha Sushil Gupta said on Thursday that unlike other political parties, the AAP does not discriminate on the basis of caste or religion.
Gupta was speaking at AAP Haryana’s two-day Prashikshan Shivir (boot camp) in Gurgaon, held to discuss party business and strategy in Haryana. “All other political parties discriminate on the basis of caste and religion. AAP jaati ke aadhar pe bhed bhav nhi karti. (AAP does not discriminate on the basis of caste). We gave a ticket to candidates solely on the merit of a particular candidate and not on considerations of caste, gender… Haryana mein sirf jaati aur dharm ke naam pe abi rajneeti ho rhi hai. Inke naam pe ladaya ja raha hai (At the moment, politics in Haryana is only done on the basis of caste and religion),” said Gupta, the party official in Haryana.
Hitting the BJP government in Haryana, Gupta said “widespread corruption” was the root cause, due to which all work was suspended. (Source: Twitter/@DrSushilKrGupta)
Gupta said there was a “jungle raj” in the state: “The rule of law has broken down in Haryana. Women are afraid to go out after 6 p.m. Businessmen receive threats of extortion and are shot… police officers are mowed down by trucks, deputies receive threats, 25 baar paper leak hote eh… (Papers are often leaked).
Hitting the BJP government in Haryana, Gupta said “widespread corruption” was the root cause, due to which all work was suspended. “There is widespread corruption in Haryana… In all businesses in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Hisar, Jind, Fatehabad, Manesar… Due to corruption, no work is being done to improve infrastructure (related to roads , drainage, water, electricity). Na achhe school ban rhe hein na hospital (neither good schools nor hospitals are built),” Gupta said.
He said that by setting up the Agniveer scheme, the government had shattered the dreams of the youths of Haryana. “One in ten people in the army is from Haryana. Young people who dreamed of serving the nation…(the government) say that after four years they will now become peons, porters and chowkidars. Using such language, they make fun of the country’s youth. We also raised this issue in parliament,” Gupta said.
Urging party members to “always speak the truth” and maintain clear communication, Gupta said, “We want to change the situation in Haryana. There are many problems. Inflation is very high. Haryana has the highest unemployment rate in the country. The farmers are distressed…all these issues we will discuss in the Prashikshan Shivir for the betterment of Haryana. The AAP will fight elections for panchayati raj, municipal corporation, municipal council, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha in Haryana and form the government.
On former Haryana Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi who joined the BJP, Gupta said, “Haryana Congress pehle hi BJP ke saath biki hui hai (Haryana Congress s is already sold to the BJP). The Haryana Congress is scared and so there is this split.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said Congress is a sinking ship and everyone is abandoning that ship and going somewhere else. “AAP vikalp ki rajneeti kar rhi hai. At this point, people are looking for a solid alternative to the BJP. Over the past few years, it has become abundantly clear that the Congress is no alternative to the BJP. In seats where the Congress and the BJP are in direct competition, the BJP wins nine times out of ten. Even on the single seat Congress wins, there remains a possibility that their winning MP will move to the BJP and the government fall. If you want an alternative to BJP, then AAP is the strongest force. People in every state want access to better education, health care and corruption-free government and we will work towards that,” Bhardwaj said.
Bhardwaj added that the BJP was misusing the Law Enforcement Directorate to attack political rivals in several states.