<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly INDIA May 17, 2019 | Toronto 10 ‘Punjabi bahu’ Priyanka takes on SAD over sacrilege, drugs Bathinda: All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who called herself a “Punjabi bahu”, on Tuesday, ripped into the anti-people policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and targeted Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP’s alliance partner in Punjab, on issues of sacrilege and misgovernance during their 10-year-rule. Touching on the emotive sacrilege issue, Priyanka said those who desecrated the “birs” (copies) of Guru Granth Sahib also destroyed the soul of Punjab. She said previous SAD- BJP government had suppressed and victimised people of Punjab and destroyed generations. Priyanka accused the Akalis of “handing over the state to drugs, liquor, sand and transport mafia during their 10-yearrule”. “When my brother Rahul Gandhi, sensing the trouble in Punjab, raised this issue, he was accused of defaming Punjabis and ridiculed, but later the truth came out,” she pointed out. Priyanka also debunked the claims of Akalis and Modi about on development. in the country having taken place in the last five years, saying that development was witnessed only during Congress rule as was evident in Bathinda. Referring to Modi `radars in clouds’ remark, Priyanka said Modi's truth had come on the people’s radar and he needed to have his unfulfilled promises on his radar. "It is time to give Modi government which has suppressed the people’s voice be dealt a crushing defeat. This is a government that claims to be nationalist while declaring everyone raising their voice for their rights to be anti-nationals." . Listing the unmet promises of the Modi government of providing 2 crore jobs and supplementing farmers’ income, the Congress leader pointed out that unemployment and poverty had in fact increased in last five years. “Thousands of farmers reached Delhi and Mumbai barefooted from various states, but the PM could not spare 5 minutes for them," she added. Blaming the Modi government for the twin blows of demonetization and GST, she said the Congress believed in pursuing the politics of truth and alleviating poverty. It was in line with this, she said that the party had decided to come up with NYAY — a “gamechanger strategy” formulated by former finance ministers and economists. Priyanka exhorted the people to check the credentials of candidates and to choose Raja Warring, who rose from the ranks of Youth Congress. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh too exhorted people to teach sitting Bathinda MP Harsimrat Badal a lesson for her arrogance and defeat Akalis everywhere. Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal and Raja Warring, too, called upon people to show the door to SADBJP in Punjab and elsewhere to ensure that Rahul becomes the PM. 'Aam aadmi’ Kejriwal joins morning walkers for tea, selfies, jokes in Barnala Barnala: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday morning campaigned for party candidates in Punjab by spending his first morning in the state by mingling freely with walkers at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park here without any security in between. <strong>The</strong> interaction came a day after he was criticized for staying away from public during his roadshow on Monday. <strong>The</strong> Delhi CM was slapped last week during a roadshow in Delhi and was since surrounded by policemen. Dressed in a casual kurta-pyjama, Kejriwal first strolled with morning walkers and then reached Barnala Club. He spent considerable time with people and club members. Kejriwal started his Punjab tour on Monday and will be in the state till May 17, when campaigning ends for the last phase. Kejriwal happily answered the queries of people and even tough questions which journalists usually pose to politicians. He also gave walkers reasons for AAP losing Punjab assembly polls in 2017, failure of forging an alliance with the Congress in Delhi and Haryana, and the split in the party. Accompanied by AAP Barnala MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Kejriwal said they were winning in Punjab in 2017, but someone floated a rumour that he stayed at the home of a Khalistani and this went against the party. “I had no idea where I had stayed,” he said. Replying to a question on his urge to align with the Congress, he said he wanted to stop the PM Narendra Modi-BJP chief Amit Shah jodi (partnership) from retaining power. “Our alliance was almost finalised in Delhi, but Congress leaders backed out at the last minute and the alliance could not take shape,” he said. Replying to a query on the vertical split in the party’s state unit, Kejriwal said it happened everywhere and did not make much as some people join the party and some leave it. “Now two MLAs have left us in Delhi, but we are not worried,” he said. He clarified why he tendered an apology to Akali Dal MLA Bikram Singh Majithia over calling him a druglord. Kejriwal said he was facing a lot of cases and these were consuming his energy. In his customary style, Kejriwal apologized the people at the park for “disturbing their stroll”. Kejriwal asked people to make party candidate Bhagwant Mann win, saying that he made a mark in Parliament by raising several issues concerning Punjab and making Parliament pay tributes to the Sahibzadas (sons) of 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh. <strong>The</strong> Delhi Cm said Mann also ensured that Punjabis stuck in foreign countries were brought back. Later, he took out road show towards Sangrur. Barnala resident Sandeep Malik said he had never seen such humility in a chief minister. “It was our first encounter with such high profile personality in such a casual manner,” he said. BJP will cross 300-mark in Lok Sabha on own steam, say Modi and Shah New Delhi: With six phases of Lok Sabha polls over, PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah exuded confidence that the ruling party would win over 300 seats and form the next government at the Centre with two-thirds majority. Shah, in fact, said BJP had crossed the majority mark on its own steam after the six phases of polling . “After the fifth and sixth phase of elections, it is evident that BJP is going to get majority and after the seventh phase, it is bound to cross 300 seats,” Shah said. Modi was equally upbeat and told a rally in West Bengal, “BJP will get majority of the 42 parliamentary seats in the state and help it cross the 300-mark in Lok Sabha.” While the PM has often expressed confidence of his party returning to power, this was the first time he actually said BJP’s tally would cross 300, a significant improvement on the party’s haul of 282 seats in the 2014 elections. <strong>The</strong> seventh and last phase of polling is due on May 19. A party needs to win 272 seats for absolute majority. Addressing a press conference here, Shah said, “You (media) keep asking me how many seats we will win. I have travelled across the country and looking at the popular response, I am fully confident that BJP after fifth and sixth phase of elections has crossed the majority figure. It is going to cross 300 after the seventh phase and the NDA under PM Narendra Modi will form the government again.” Mocking the proposed meeting of opposition leaders and moves by some regional parties like TRS to form a Federal Front, Shah said such meetings did not affect BJP whose tally of seats would not come down. “<strong>The</strong>y may meet to elect a leader of opposition but results even this time may not give any party enough number of seats to choose a leader of opposition from its ranks,” he added.
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly May 17, 2019 | Toronto 11 Punjabi News Channel AFTER ONTARIO NOW LAUNCHED IN BC & ALBERTA FIBE TV Channel No. 2329 TELUS Channel No. 2361