BJP to make drugs and corruption key planks in Punjab poll battle: Nitin Nabin
BJP chief Nitin Nabin said the party will fight the Punjab Assembly polls on corruption, anarchy and drugs. The remarks signal an aggressive campaign against the AAP government ahead of next year's election.
BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of "anarchy and corruption" and said his party would fight the upcoming Assembly elections in the state on these issues. He also said the BJP would raise the issue of the drug menace in Punjab and launch a public movement against it ahead of the polls due early next year.
Speaking at his first press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi since becoming the party's national president in January, Nabin made the remarks while replying to questions from reporters. The press conference was held after he announced the launch of a month-long 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' across the country from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17 to mark his 25 years in public life through programmes focused on youth outreach and public participation.
Asked about the BJP's strategy for the Punjab polls, Nabin said that given the "state of anarchy and corruption" in Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party was fully prepared to confront the situation head-on. He did not comment on the possibility of an alliance between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal in the poll-bound state.
"We believe there is a pressing need for a widespread public movement against the drug menace, and the BJP will spearhead such a movement in the coming days," he said. "Furthermore, the anarchy and corruption characterising the Punjab government, along with the questionable nature of recent inductions into their party, pose a threat to both the state and the nation. We will take these issues to the electoral battlefield," the BJP chief added.
Nabin was apparently referring to the recent induction of Gurpreet Singh Sekhon into the ruling AAP in Punjab. Sekhon, a resident of Ferozepur, was one of the main accused in the 2016 Nabha jailbreak case. Asked if he had been visiting various states in view of the upcoming polls, Nabin said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party's cadre and leadership work 24x7. We are full-time politicians I am going to visit West Bengal this month."