Harsimrat Kaur blames Arvind Kejriwal for Punjab defeat but also says downfall of AAP has begun

Union Minister for Food Processing and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur blamed her party's defeat in Punjab Assembly election on Aam Aadmi Party and its convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Participating in a discussion at India Today Editors' Roundtable conference, Harsimrat Kaur today said, "AAP and Arvind Kejriwal hobnobbed with Khalistani (terrorist), who three decades ago caused serious wrong that led to fighting between Hindus and Sikhs."

"AAP resorted to sacrilege and blamed it on the Akali-BJP government. And, only a few days before the election, a bomb blast took place in Punjab. This scared people and at that time media was saying that SAD-BJP was losing the poll. People then decided that they will not vote for AAP because of its dubious links. They finally went with the Congress," Kaur said.

However, Harsimarat Kaur did not stop at Kejriwal. She held that 'misleading propaganda and false promises' made by Captain Amarinder Singh made people believe that the incumbent government was not doing enough.

DOWNFALL FOR KEJRIWAL HAS BEGUN

The Akali leader further said that Punjab exposed the real face of Arvind Kejriwal and AAP, which was being 'projected by media as the party heading to form government in the state'.

"Punjab began the downfall of Arvind Kejriwal. It exposed him and his party's real face. Now people of Delhi know what they stand for. That is why they lost in Delhi - first bypoll and then the municipal corporation election," Harsimrat Kaur said.

In response to a question, Kaur said, "Not only me, everyone in Punjab is happy that Kerjiwal did not become Chief Minister of Punjab." She further said, "Very soon Kejriwal will go to jail in defamation case."

WHAT ELSE HARSIMARAT KAUR SAID

Kaur said that Punjab did not get enough focus from big leaders of the BJP as the election was being held along with that in Uttar Pradesh, which was politically very important. "Not enough focus was given to Punjab," Kaur said. "The 100 per cent FDI in retail was a revolutionary reform in food processing sector. We have created an environment so that food processing could be encouraged in the country," Kaur said at India Today Editors' Roundtable.

On a question of wasted of food grains in the country, Harsimrat Kaur said, "Wastage of one-third food is the global trend. But in the West it happens in plate while in our country it happens in transport. We don't have enough infrastructure as it is capital intensive while the return is seasonal."

She said that FDI has been increasing in food processing sector. "The year has just begun and we have seen a 40 per cent increase from last year in FDI. There are still certain issues, which I have raised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The same are being considered by the Commerce Ministry."

"We have changed the way FSSAI used to function. Earlier, people who wanted to invest money used to complain that FSSAI was not clearing their proposals. We studied and changed the approval system from product-based to ingredient-based. Now, you can make anything from about 12,000 ingredients and don't require to get a clearance from FSSAI," Harsimrat Kaur explained when asked how the government is improving the work environment for industry.

Kaur slammed Captain Amarinder Singh government of Punjab saying that in such a short, the state was witnessing a collapse of administration. She accused him of trying to sell electricity to Pakistan due to his personal relation while the people of Punjab were facing huge power cuts. When asked to clarify, Kaur said, "I won't say that he is doing it for personal relation. Everyone knows about it. I won't say it. I will just say that he has sought permission to sell power to Pakistan while people and farmers of Punjab are facing power shortage."

On the question of justice for 1984-riots victims, Kaur said, "The Narendra Modi government has formed an SIT. Now there is a ray of hope that justice will be done. For past 33 years, the Congress tried to tell people that it was riot when it was genocide in which people of only one community were killed. But, Congress tried to propagate a false narrative of the genocide."