Kejriwal a coward, says Amarinder (Ld)

Chandigarh, Dec 14 : Dubbing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a "coward" who had run scared and apologised when cornered in a defamation case by SADs Bikram Majithia, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said Kejriwals desperate attempts to hide his governments "utter failure" to protect the famers interests will not save him from their wrath, nor will they safeguard his party from being decimated in the next Punjab Assembly election."Just as every Punjabi knows that I am not one to be cowed down by any amount of false ED or other cases, they also know that you will sell your soul if it serves your purpose," the Punjab Chief Minister said, in a resounding response to Kejriwals false allegations and accusations against him.

Daring his Delhi counterpart to cite even a single instance when he backed off under pressure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or any other agency, the Punjab Chief Minister pointed out that from Operation Bluestar to the SYL and now to the farm laws issue, he had always done the right thing by his people, in sharp contrast to Kejriwal, whom the whole of Punjab had seen cringing in fear in the face of a minor defamation case and the whole of Delhi had seen begging the Centre for help amid the Covid pandemic.Asserting that the whole world had seen how Kejriwal had sold off the farmers interests by notifying one of the black farm laws in the national capital at a time when the farmers were preparing to march to Delhi, Amarinder said the Delhi Chief Minister had exposed his own "setting" with the central government with this act."Why did you do that Kejriwal? What pressure did the Centre put on you? Or is it so you can go grovelling back to them again the next time your pathetic government is floundering to handle the Covid crisis, as you have already done twice?" Amarinder asked Kejriwal, slamming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor over his "unending saga of lies".Taking a dig at Kejriwals self-proclaimed anger over the conspiracy of certain vested interests to undermine the farmers agitation by linking it with anti-nationalism, the Punjab Chief Minister said the farmers needed no endorsement of their genuineness from the man who had hobnobbed with Khalistanis in the run-up to the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls.

"If you think farmers are going to be taken in by your dramatics and crocodile tears, then you Mr Kejriwal, are totally mistaken, just as you were mistaken when you thought AAP would sweep the Punjab election in 2017," said Amarinder in a statement.Likening the Delhi Chief Minister to a dust storm that moves in the direction in which it sees the winds moving, the Chief Minister said Kejriwals attempts to sweep the farmers agitation, where he is currently seeing an opportunity to promote his political agenda, will not succeed.