DW BUREAU / Ludhiana

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday called upon the newly-elected sarpanchs in Punjab to help eradicate the drug menace from the state, assuring them of full support regardless of their party allegiance.

Kejriwal made the remarks during an event at Dhanansoo village in Ludhiana, where Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann administered oath to 10,031 newly-elected sarpanchs.

Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and AAP leader Raghav Chadha were also present at the vent.

"There is a drug menace in Punjab which the state government and the police are working to combat. But without your help, all those efforts will remain incomplete," Kejriwal told the sarpanchs.

"In the villages, everyone knows who all are involved in selling drugs and from where they are being procured. Hand over such people to the police. Let us know if they do not take action, and we will act against them," the former Delhi chief minister said.

Calling for a collective effort to fight the drug menace, Mann said, "We have to make our villages drug-free. Many youths have formed clubs in the villages to fight the drug problem." Kejriwal also assured the sarpanchs that there would be no shortage of funds for development works in the villages regardless of their political affiliation. "For the Punjab government, you are not AAP, SAD, or Congress sarpanchs; you are the sarpanchs of your respective village," he said.

"Come to us for any work, and we will support you provided you are doing good work," Kejriwal added.

Congratulating the newly-elected sarpanchs, the AAP chief said, "I am told that there are more than 3,000 villages where sarpanchs have been elected unanimously. Some villages have even elected the entire panchayat, including panchs, unanimously." In the recently-held panchayat elections in Punjab, the candidates were debarred from contesting on party symbols. The move was aimed at reducing groupism in the villages and to ensure the holistic development of the rural areas.

Kejriwal also said that AAP fought several elections since its formation 12 years ago, and he can tell from his experience that it is easier to become an MLA than becoming a sarpanch.

"You have the opportunity to serve your village. You must deliver," Kejriwal told the gathering.

Urging the sarpanchs to work with full honesty, Kejriwal said, "Those who indulge in dishonesty will not only be punished by the people, but will also end up behind bars." Take decisions that involve everyone, Kejriwal said, as he urged the sarpanchs to hold Gram Sabha meetings every month and ensure that all decisions are passed in those meetings.

Advising the sarpanchs to avoid indulging in any wasteful expenditures, he said, "Sarpanchs can do a lot for the betterment and development of their villages. I know many village heads who have transformed the face of their areas."

In the panchayat elections held recently in Punjab, 13,147 sarpanchs were elected across 23 districts. Of these, 10,031 sarpanchs from 19 districts were administered oath on Friday.

The remaining sarpanchs from four districts -- Sri Muktsar Sahib, Hoshiarpur, Barnala, and Gurdaspur -- along with 81,808 newly-elected panchs will be administered oath after the Assembly byelections to four seats scheduled on November 20 -- Gidderbaha, Chabewal, Barnala, and Dera Baba Nanak.

Meanwhile, calling the sarpanchs "pillars of democracy", Mann assured them of adequate funds for building roads, schools, installing solar lights, setting up RO water filters, and establishing libraries.

"You pass resolutions and tell us what needs to be done, and the rest is our responsibility. There will be no dearth of funds," Mann said.

"We also need to step up our efforts to make our villages green and clean," he added. The chief minister also cited the "success" of the AAP government in Delhi, stating how it transformed the government schools to help children from ordinary backgrounds crack competitive exams such as the JEE.

He also urged the sarpanchs to utilise the grants meant for development works related to health, education, and infrastructure.

(editor@dailyworld.in)