Haryana CM Saini Accuses AAP of Breaking Women's Welfare Promises in Punjab

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday sharply criticised the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab for making "tall promises" to women during the 2022 Assembly elections but failing to deliver after assuming power. Addressing the media in Chandigarh, Saini contrasted AAP's unkept pledge of Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to women with the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) swift implementation of its own welfare initiative in Haryana, underscoring what he described as a pattern of electoral deceit by opposition parties.

Saini pointed to viral social media videos of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann facing public backlash for the AAP's broken commitments, claiming the party has left women in Punjab disillusioned. He accused both AAP and the Congress, allies in the INDIA bloc, of similar tactics—leveraging false assurances for votes without follow-through. "They take votes by speaking lies, but when they come to power, they forget about their promises and only exploit people," Saini said, citing examples from Congress-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, where post-election reversals on welfare pledges allegedly occurred.

In a positive note for Haryana, Saini highlighted the BJP's fulfilment of its pre-poll commitment from the October 2024 Assembly elections. The party had promised Rs 2,100 monthly financial aid to eligible women if re-elected. True to its word, the BJP government, in its third term, allocated Rs 5,000 crore in the 2025-26 budget for the 'Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana' and launched the scheme on September 25—just months into the tenure. The initiative targets women aged 21-60 from families with annual incomes below Rs 2.5 lakh, aiming to empower them economically and promote financial inclusion.

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Since its rollout six days ago, 171,946 women have registered via the 'Lado Laxmi App', Saini reported, urging all eligible beneficiaries to complete the process promptly for the first instalment transfer on November 1. For support, helplines, including the toll-free numbers 18001802231 and 01724880500, are available. Dismissing opposition criticism as politically motivated, Saini asserted that the Congress only discusses women's welfare for electoral gains, offering no substantive benefits in its governed states. He called for constructive suggestions from rivals rather than mere negativity.

Saini's remarks come amid intensifying political rivalries ahead of future elections, with the BJP positioning its Haryana scheme as a model of accountable governance. The Lado Lakshmi Yojana builds on similar BJP-led programmes nationwide, such as the Ladli Behna scheme in Madhya Pradesh, which has disbursed billions to millions of women since 2023. As Haryana's economy grows at 8.2% in FY25, such initiatives are seen as key to sustaining voter support in a state where women's empowerment remains a pivotal electoral issue.

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