Aman Arora Warns Punjab Could Lose Free Electricity, ₹10 Lakh Health Cover If Congress Wins In 2027

Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Thursday accused the Congress of pursuing an anti-people agenda, claiming that a Congress government in Punjab after the 2027 Assembly elections could discontinue free electricity, the ₹10 lakh Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna and financial assistance for women.

Reacting to remarks by Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring about welfare subsidies, Arora alleged that the opposition party could also bring back toll plazas and increase electricity and canal water charges. He challenged Congress leaders to clarify whether the existing welfare schemes would continue if the party returned to power.

Why Does Aman Arora Believe Congress Could Withdraw Welfare Benefits?

Addressing a press conference, Arora said Warring’s remarks about restricting electricity subsidies and financial assistance for women had raised questions about the Congress party’s plans for Punjab.

He said the AAP government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, was providing electricity subsidies to households, farmers and industries, alongside financial assistance for women.

According to Arora, Congress must explain whether it intends to maintain these benefits or withdraw them after the 2027 elections. He argued that ordinary families deserved clarity about the future of welfare schemes before being asked to vote for the opposition party.

Who Will Decide Which Families Deserve Government Assistance?

Arora questioned how the Congress would determine which households qualified for electricity subsidies and which women would remain eligible for financial assistance.

He asked whether Warring or senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Punjab Assembly Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa, would decide which families deserved government support.

The AAP leader also challenged Congress MPs, MLAs, former ministers and their families to voluntarily surrender any subsidies they believed should be reserved for people who genuinely needed assistance.

Arora claimed that despite Congress leaders questioning welfare benefits, he had not seen them publicly relinquish such benefits.

He added that the AAP government had been providing free electricity for four years and financial assistance to women for approximately six months.

What Does Congress’s Past Record on Electricity Subsidies Show?

Arora cited the Congress party’s previous tenure in Punjab to question its current position on welfare schemes.

Referring to the period when Captain Amarinder Singh led the Congress government, he alleged that free electricity for farmers had been discontinued after the party came to power in 2002 and restored approximately two-and-a-half years later.

He also recalled Congress’s promise ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections to continue free electricity, arguing that the party’s past decisions should be considered when assessing its current assurances.

Arora said election manifestos and campaign promises should be judged against a party’s record in government rather than accepted at face value.

Will Congress Continue the ₹10 Lakh Health Scheme and Other Benefits?

Arora called on Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to clarify whether a Congress government would continue the electricity subsidies and financial assistance for women provided by the Mann government.

He also questioned the future of the ₹10 lakh Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, which provides health coverage, along with other initiatives such as closed toll plazas, canal water access for agricultural fields and the Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra.

The AAP leader alleged that a change in government could put these benefits at risk. He claimed that a Congress administration might restore toll collections, introduce charges for canal water supplied to agricultural fields, increase electricity costs and discontinue the health coverage scheme.

These claims formed the basis of his appeal to voters to seek clear answers from the Congress leadership before the 2027 Assembly elections.

Why Is AAP Asking Congress to Clarify Its 2027 Election Agenda?

Arora urged Punjab’s voters not to be swayed by election-time promises and to examine the implications of Warring’s remarks while assessing the Congress party’s intentions.

He argued that the debate extended beyond electricity subsidies and financial assistance for women, as it also concerned the continuation of welfare programmes benefiting ordinary households.

According to Arora, Congress must publicly state whether it would retain the existing schemes or introduce changes if it formed the next government.

He warned that Punjab could face higher household and agricultural expenses if the alleged changes were implemented, while welfare benefits were reduced.

Concluding his remarks, Arora said Congress should clarify its position before seeking votes in 2027, stressing that Punjab’s residents deserved certainty about the future of the government schemes on which they rely.