Terming the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab as an anti-Dalit community government, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi said Thursday that despite assurances, the AAP government had failed to appoint a deputy CM from the Dalit community.The senior Congress leaders today held a joint press conference after Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary filed nomination papers for the Jalandhar by-election.
Addressing the media persons in the presence of the Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and AICC Punjab Incharge Harish Chaudhary, former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi said that AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal owe an explanation to the people of Punjab on what stopped him from appointing a Dalit deputy CM even after one year in the government.
The senior congress leadership in Punjab said that during its regime, the Congress government in Punjab proposed to build a panorama on the life story of Bhagwan Valmik in Amritsar with Rs 100 crore. Similarly, the previous Congress government sanctioned Rs 25 crore to build a research centre on Guru Ravi Das in Jalandhar. The AAP government had discontinued both of the projects.
"I want to ask the AAP government what enmity they have with the Dalit community as they had stopped these projects. I had proposed to give Rs 100 crore to construct the museum of Dr. BR Ambedkar at PTU Jalandhar. The AAP government halted that project as well", said the former CM.
The Congress leaders said that Punjab Advocate General's office has around 150 lawyers. None of them belongs to the Dalit community. After agitation, they promised to hire 58 Dalit lawyers last year, yet no appointment letter has been given to them.
"Their anti-dalit face has been exposed now. They are using the photos of Dr. BR Ambedkar to garner votes only,” said former CM Channi.He said that he launched the Mera Ghar Mere Naam scheme to give ownership rights to people living in houses within the 'lal lakir' of villages and cities.
Instead of continuing the same scheme, the AAP government bulldozered the houses of people belonging to the Dalit and poor communities in the Latifpura locality in Jalandhar.