Change in Punjab leadership as Amarinder govt was run by BJP from Centre: Priyanka

This is the first time that anyone from the Gandhi family broke their silence on the change of leadership in the state.

 "That hidden alliance is now out in the public. That's the reason we had to change the government in Punjab. We were listening to the concerns of the public which is why we brought a leader like Charanjit Singh Channi to lead. Channi has faced poverty and understands public issues. Channi government made a drastic improvement in just 111 days in the state," Priyanka said while addressing an election rally in support of Congress candidate Ajaypal Singh Sandhu.

She said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also has the same agenda and plans to govern Punjab from Delhi according to party chief Arvind Kejriwal's dictates and appealed to people to not repeat the last mistake by supporting the AAP.

In a barbed attack on the AAP, she said the party emerged from RSS and even its leaders accept that they are more BJP than BJP itself.

She said the AAP is selling its Delhi model in Punjab to grab power just like the BJP, which came to power at the Centre by misleading people with its Gujarat model.

"Don't get misled as both Gujarat and Delhi models exist only on papers and in advertisements,” she added.

"The reality is Delhi is different from the tall claims of the AAP. They have not done anything in the health and education sector," she said.

In a bid to assert her links to the state, Priyanka said she is married in a Punjabi family and can feel and understand Punjabiyat from her heart.

She said Punjabi never compromises on principles and it has been proved in the farmers' agitation at Delhi borders.

Earlier, Congress candidates from Kotkapura, Jaito, Faridkot and Muktsar Assembly seats accompanied the Congress General Secretary on the stage.

Punjab will go to the polls on February 20. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.