Bhagwant Mann govt 'fiercely honest', several steps taken to rein in corruption, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday described the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab as fiercely honest which has not hesitated in taking tough decisions, including steps to rein in corruption, during its three month tenure so far.Launching a scathing attack on previous regimes, the Aam Aadmi Party national convener said various kinds of mafia, including the transport mafia, flourished under them but the Mann government has put an end to these.Kejriwal also talked about giving jobs on big scale and said the process for this has already started.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday described the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab as ''fiercely honest'' which has not hesitated in taking ''tough decisions'', including steps to rein in corruption, during its three-month tenure so far.

Launching a scathing attack on previous regimes, the Aam Aadmi Party national convener said various kinds of mafia, including the transport mafia, flourished under them but the Mann government has put an end to these.

Kejriwal also talked about giving jobs on a big scale and said the process for this has already started. In addition, the process to regularise nearly 26,000 temporary workers, who during the previous regime used to protest atop water tanks, has started and they will be regularised soon, he said. ''A law is being brought in upcoming budget session under which their services will be regularised,'' he said.

He said the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government is a fiercely honest government that does not hesitate to taking hard decisions.

Kejriwal, who was on his first visit to the state after Mann took oath as CM in March when the AAP came to power with an overwhelming majority, said several steps have been taken to rein in graft, including starting an anti-corruption helpline.

Kejriwal was addressing a gathering here after launching the luxury bus service from Jalandhar to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi along with Mann. People gave us an overwhelming mandates and I know that there are high expectations from us, Kejriwal said.

All the promises we made to the people will be fulfilled, keep faith in us. Cleaning the mess that previous regimes have created for 70 years may take some time, but slowly we will once again make Punjab 'range' (vibrant), he said.

On the drugs issue, he said clear-cut instructions have been given to the police to rein in the scourge and catch the culprits responsible.

Kejriwal also touched upon some pro-farmers announcements made by the Mann government, including giving MSP on moong, and hoped that more crops will be purchased on MSP in the coming time. ''It is our and farmers' dream and I hope this will be realized soon that government gives MSP on each crop,” he said.

He attacked the previous regimes, saying they were questioning the Mann government on the law and order issues, but the truth is that gangsters used to get political patronage under them.

He said during just three months, 130 gangsters have been caught in the state.

The Delhi chief minister spoke at length about the law and order issue in the wake of opposition parties targeting the Mann government over it, especially after singer Sidhu Moosewala's killing.

''Opposition parties have been trying to build up an atmosphere that law and situation have turned bad in Punjab. I want to ask them if all gangsters who are operating in Punjab, have been brought by Mann Sahab, but they are their creation. ''Earlier these gangsters, anti-national elements used to get political patronage, but now things have changed and there is no one to protect them,'' he said.

Unlike in the past, if any crime takes place in Punjab, the accused are caught and punished, he said and cited some examples in this regard.

In Sidhu Moosewala's case, our government brought gangsters (Lawrence Bishnoi to Punjab) from Delhi (for questioning), he said.

''Now, if anyone does any wrongdoing in Punjab, he will not be spared even if we have to catch the culprit from the jejunum (hell). We will ensure he gets punishment.

''It is our responsibility to ensure security to people of our state and we will do that and a peaceful atmosphere will prevail,'' he said.

After launching the bus service, Kejriwal said, ''Earlier, NRIs used to fall prey to the bus mafia here, and one-way fare used to be Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000, but they did not have an option. ''Earlier, one party which used to rule, they had their buses and they did not let government buses ply. Then another party came to power and they had set with that party and they too did not let these public transport buses run (to Delhi airport),'' Kejriwal alleged.

An all-out offensive has been launched to rein in corruption, he said, adding that if we were dishonest, we too would have done the same thing as was prevalent earlier.

Kejriwal also referred to Punjab Health Minister Vijay Singla being sacked from the state Cabinet recently over graft charges, and later sent to jail, asserting that the AAP government has zero tolerance towards corruption.

''Never before has it happened in India's history that a government sent its minister to jail. There is no second example in the country... It sends out a strong message to all that if this government can send its own Cabinet minister to jail, corruption will not be tolerated at any level,'' he said.

Kejriwal claimed that earlier ''transfer-posting mafia'' used to run and now that practice has been stopped. During the past three months, 5,500 acres of government land have been freed from illegal land encroachments, he pointed out.

Kejriwal alleged, ''Earlier, 'education mafia' also used to flourish and some schools used to hike fees at will and force children to purchase books and uniforms from particular shops. Previous governments were hand-in-glove with this mafia,''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)