SANJAY SINGH SAYS CENTRE IS CHEATING POOR, TRADERS

NEWDELHI: In his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha (AAP) member Sanjay Singh hit out at the Union government for allegedly handing a raw deal to the poor and farmers and targeting the ‘elected government’ of Delhi.

The ruling party of Delhi made an entry into the Upper House earlier this year. Even as AAP is opposed to both the BJP and the Congress in Delhi politics, in the Parliament it chose to only attack the BJP, possibly sending a signal of floor coordination to the Opposition parties.

“BJP has played a cruel joke on the farmers of UP by giving them ₹1 to ₹2 loan waiver...you said you will put ₹15 lakh in everyone’s account, but did not put even ₹15,” Singh said in his speech.

He said the BJP “ditched the traders” who voted for the party through a series of measures such as ban of high value currency notes, implementation of Goods and Services Tax and “sealing of shops in the capital”.

Singh also took a jibe at the Prime Minister’s long speeches, saying, “Indian government would stand first if there was an international competition of speeches.”

The MP charged the Centre with ’deliberately targeting the elected state governments in both Delhi and West Bengal’, which amounted to ’political witchhunting’. “It took huge efforts to get independence and Constitution, but democracy today is in danger. Governments that came to power with overwhelming majority — be it in West Bengal or Delhi — are not being allowed to function,” he said.