Chandigarh, July 1 (IANS) Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Wednesday slammed the state Aam Aadmi Party government over the launch of the monthly financial assistance scheme for nearly 40 lakh adult women, accusing it of committing a “massive betrayal” against women.

He said the government, driven by false guarantees and functioning under the directions of Arvind Kejriwal, is misleading the people of the state and engaging in nothing more than an electoral stunt.

Questioning the government’s intent, the state BJP chief said that there has been major manipulation in the release of funds by the government.

Launching the scheme in Dhuri town, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the direct transfer of three months’ direct into the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries, with every woman above the age of 18 years receiving Rs 3,000 and women from the Scheduled Caste category receiving Rs 4,500.

Dhillon said all general category women should have received Rs 60,000 and Rs 90,000 for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category for the full five-year period. However, after not giving even a single rupee for four and a half years, the government “is now staging a drama by announcing only a token amount during election season, which he described as a blatant betrayal of the women”.

He said that from the March 2026 budget session, the government had continuously publicised that payments for April, May, and June would be released. However, it has now cleverly replaced those with payments for July, August, and September, thereby misleading the public. Since the election code of conduct is expected to come into force soon after, the government is attempting to secure votes by releasing funds for only three months.

Dhillon added that while the government is indulging in politics over this nominal amount, chaos has spread across Punjab and the state’s condition has deteriorated significantly. During the crucial paddy transplantation season, farmers are not receiving the electricity needed for cultivation, forcing them to protest on the streets instead of working in their fields. On the other hand, due to the government’s failures, employees from various departments are also continuously protesting over their legitimate demands, including dearness allowance (DA).

Directly targeting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the state BJP president said the government has no answers regarding the sacrilege prevention law or the Chief Minister’s recently viral controversial video. To hide these failures and the resulting embarrassment, he alleged that the Chief Minister is resorting to theatrics on public platforms.

He claimed that the AAP government is now cornered on every front and that the aware people of Punjab fully understand this deception and will give a fitting reply in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

–IANS

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