AAP indulging in 'petty politics' over COVID, alleges Punjab CM

Pointing to the coronavirus situation in Delhi, where the AAP is at the helm, the chief minister said the party was involved in a “negative propaganda” against his government, which was “irresponsible”. At a virtual meeting with Congress MLAs to discuss the coronavirus crisis in the state, Amarinder Singh said India is facing a war-like situation just like the world and a united fight alone can tackle the problem, he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday accused the Aam Aadmi Party of indulging in "petty politics" over the coronavirus crisis while pitching for united efforts to tackle the pandemic. Pointing to the coronavirus situation in Delhi, where the AAP is at the helm, the chief minister said the party was involved in a "negative propaganda" against his government, which was "irresponsible".

At a virtual meeting with Congress MLAs to discuss the coronavirus crisis in the state, Amarinder Singh said India is facing a war-like situation just like the world and a united fight alone can tackle the problem, he said. But AAP is busy in petty politics amidst the crisis, he alleged in a statement. The Punjab CM also claimed that the Congress was helping governments in all states in tackling the pandemic, even where it was not in power. The chief minister said he was also ready to help any state that asks for it, be it Delhi, Himachal Pradesh or Haryana. "That is the only way to fight the crisis. If tomorrow Delhi needs my help, I will willingly offer it," he said. Amarinder Singh claimed that contrary to what AAP was projecting, Delhi's situation was much worse than Punjab.

With around 2.90 crore population, Punjab has 18,000 active cases while Delhi with 1.80 crore has 25,000 plus active cases, he said in the statement. Even Haryana has a lesser population than Punjab but an equal number of active cases, he noted.

The Punjab CM said to encourage poor people to get themselves tested, his government has started distributing free food packets to those in isolation and with no source of livelihood. He asked the MLAs to work with district administrations to ensure that food packets reach the needy and they do not hold back from getting themselves tested for the fear of being left without livelihood during the isolation period. According to the Punjab authorities, the state had recorded 72,143 cases till Thursday with a total of 2,149 deaths.