AAP, Cong opposing VB – G RAM G as it will stop their ‘corrupt earnings’: Jakhar

Sunil Jakhar added that the number of employment days has been increased from 100 to 125 under the new scheme. (File photo)

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday came down heavily against the opposition of Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB – G RAM G) Act, stating that the real reason why the AAP and the Congress are opposing this “pro-poor decision” as the new system will put a stop to their “corrupt earnings”.

Jakhar said that the new employment law brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been framed keeping the interests of poor labourers at its core. “It ensures that the grant meant for labourers does not end up in the pockets of contractors and middlemen, and that the labourer receives his rightful payment directly,” he added.

As part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) state-level public awareness campaign regarding the scheme — which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — a public interaction rally was organised at village Foldiwal in Jalandhar.

Jakhar added that the number of employment days has been increased from 100 to 125 under the new scheme. He further said that AAP and the Congress, who claim to be secular parties, also object to the inclusion of the word “Ram” in the scheme. “The so-called secular party smells foul in the name of God Ram.”

On alleged remarks by former Delhi AAP Chief Minister Atishi against Guru Tegh Bahadur in the Delhi Assembly, Jakhar said that the “true face of this party has now been exposed before everyone”.

The Punjab BJP chief also slammed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after a purported video showed him disrespecting the images of the ten Sikh Gurus. He said that on one hand, Mann talks about making laws to award death penalty to those guilty of sacrilege, while on the other hand, an objectionable video related to sacrilege involving him is circulating. He demanded a special session of the Assembly and an impartial investigation under the supervision of the High Court to ascertain whether the video is genuine or AI-generated.

Jakhar said that if the video turned out to be real, Mann would then have no moral right to occupy the chair of the Chief Minister of Punjab.

On the rising gun violence in Punjab, Jakhar said that the state has been shaken by nine murders in the last seven days, describing the law-and-order situation in the state as “jungle raj”.

The state BJP chief also slammed the AAP government’s anti-drug programmes, claiming that the “biggest concern in Punjab’s villages is not unemployment or inflation, but the fear of children falling into drug addiction”. “Every parent worries whether their child will return home safely in the evening.”

He asserted that only the BJP can provide Punjab with a “stable, transparent, corruption-free governance based on peace, harmony, and brotherhood”. He said the people of Punjab have made up their minds to stand with the BJP in the next elections and that only the BJP can save Punjab’s youth from drugs and gun violence.

Earlier, BJP national secretary and Punjab co-incharge Narinder Raina, in his address, said that AAP’s sole objective is to oppose Modi’s schemes and to prevent their benefits from reaching the common people. He said that CAG reports had exposed corruption in MNREGA, and changes were made to the scheme to ensure that no one else could loot the money meant for the poor.

Later, during a press conference, Jakhar questioned the Chief Minister to disclose how much money the state government has released from its own resources for village development over the past four years. He also termed the Punjab government’s health insurance scheme as deceptive, stating that in reality the government has paid premium not for treatment worth Rs 10 lakh, but only up to Rs 1 lakh.