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Punjab's Broken Promise: How AAP Betrayed Women on Rs 1,000 Aid Scheme

Congress has launched a sharp attack on Punjab's AAP government over unfulfilled election promises. Partap Singh Bajwa accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of repeatedly betraying women voters who believed in the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance scheme. The opposition leader revealed that despite multiple assurances, the scheme remains unimplemented three years after AAP came to power. Bajwa demanded that if implemented in 2026-27, the government must pay women arrears dating back to 2022.

Key Points: Congress Accuses AAP Punjab of Betraying Women Rs 1000 Promise

  • AAP came to power on women's hopes for monthly financial assistance
  • Promise repeatedly delayed with new implementation dates each year
  • Scheme absent from 2025-26 state budget despite election assurances
  • Congress demands payment of arrears dating back to 2022 launch promise
2 min read

Congress accuses Punjab AAP of cheating women over poll promise of Rs 1,000 assistance

Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa slams Bhagwant Mann for delaying Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to Punjab women, calling it political betrayal after 3 years of empty promises.

"Three years later, that promise lies buried under excuses and false assurances. - Partap Singh Bajwa"

Chandigarh, Nov 4

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly and veteran Congress leader, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Tuesday, lambasted the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of betraying the trust of state's women through repeated lies and empty promises regarding the Rs 1,000 per month financial assistance scheme announced before the 2022 Assembly elections.

Bajwa said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power riding on the hopes of lakhs of women who believed in Mann's promise of direct financial support.

"Three years later, that promise lies buried under excuses and false assurances. Each time women remind the Chief Minister of his commitment, he dodges the issue with one pretext or another," the LoP said in a statement.

The veteran Congress leader said that during the Tarn Taran Assembly bye-election campaign that the women once again demanded answers from Chief Minister Mann, only to be given yet another hollow assurance that the scheme would now be implemented in the 2026-27 Budget session.

Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, CM Mann even tried to sweeten his deception by announcing that the monthly amount would be Rs 1,100 instead of Rs 1,000.

He confidently declared that the scheme would roll out immediately after the elections.

However, the 2025-26 state Budget came and went without a single mention of this so-called flagship scheme, Bajwa said.

Calling the promise a "classic case of political betrayal", the LoP said the Mann government had cruelly misled Punjab's women, using their hopes for electoral gain.

"If the Chief Minister truly intends to fulfill his long-delayed promise in 2026-27, he must also pay women the arrears dating back to 2022 -- the year he pledged to launch this scheme right after forming the AAP government in Punjab," Bajwa asserted.

He added the repeated deferrals of the scheme expose the hollow governance and false propaganda of the AAP government.

"The women of Punjab will not forgive a government that used their empowerment as a campaign slogan and then conveniently forgot them after securing power," Bajwa said.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
While I support AAP's work in education and healthcare, this broken promise is hard to defend. They should either implement it properly or stop making such announcements. Trust is everything in politics.
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Sarah B
As someone who has lived in Punjab for 5 years, I've seen how important women's financial empowerment is here. Empty promises like this hurt the most vulnerable families. Governments worldwide need to be more accountable.
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Arjun K
Congress pointing fingers? Really? They had 70 years to implement such schemes. At least AAP is trying to deliver on other fronts like schools and healthcare. Let's see if they actually implement this in 2026.
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Kavya N
My mother was so excited about this scheme. She's a widow and that Rs 1000 would have meant so much. Now she just feels cheated. Political parties should think about the real impact of their promises on ordinary people's lives.
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Michael C
This pattern of making big promises before elections and then delaying them seems universal. In Punjab's case, the government should be transparent about budget constraints rather than giving false hope year after year.
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Nikhil C
Bajwa is right about one thing - if they're serious about implementing in 2026, they should pay arrears

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