Amritsar, March 15 : Senior BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina on Tuesday hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the “extravaganza”, being organized at Khatkar Kalan on March 16 for the swearing in ceremony of Bhagwant Mann, and called the ceremony a “waste of public money” and against the principles of Shaheed Bhagat Singh who had advocated a simple living. Chhina said over 150 acres of ripening wheat crop is being ploughed for a mega ceremony. “This is against the principles of simplicity, which AAP and its leaders swear-by. Cutting the ripening crop is nothing but a sin in the Punjabi culture. Moreover the debt-ridden state government is spending over Rs 2.60 crore on the ceremony which is wasteful expenditure”, he said. He said there is a huge gap between what the AAP leaders preach and practice. “The wheat fields are being cleared for ‘pandal’ and parking of vehicles of the visitors. The auspicious ceremony will not last for more than an hour, then why so much hulla-gulla”, he asked adding that farmers whose crop is being ploughed must have been feeling the pain as their standing crops were being destroyed in front of their eyes. The BJP leader said even the government machinery and the public buses are being arranged to bring the people to the venue. “Earlier also during the road show in Amritsar, AAP engaged public sector buses for ferrying their party supporters from all over the state, which is a misuse of government machinery and burden on state exchequer,” he said. DB RKM
