Hegde Slams Congress Rally, Azam Khan Arrest and Punjab Polls

Mumbai, Nov 1: Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) spokesperson Krishna Hegde has spoken on several political developments, including the Congress rally in Delhi, the arrest of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

On the Delhi rally, Hegde said traders were worried about the losses caused during the Dussehra agitation led by CJP, Congress and the INDIA bloc, which he estimated at about Rs 2,000 crore per day. He said traders had asked Rahul Gandhi to postpone the November 1 rally as festivals were approaching.

On Azam Khan, Hegde said the Samajwadi Party leader was arrested immediately after being released from jail. He said the Enforcement Directorate would question him in several cases, which he believed would bring the truth to light. Hegde noted that Khan had previously served a jail term.

Turning to Punjab, Hegde described the state's situation as very poor and said residents were suffering. He said the Aam Aadmi Party had been given a chance in the past, but corruption had not reduced and the drug problem had not ended. He claimed people in Punjab wanted change.

Hegde said Amit Shah was the star campaigner for the BJP and NDA. He quoted Shah as saying that if the BJP and its allies came to power in Punjab, they would work to make the state drug-free. Hegde also said an alliance between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal was nearly finalised, with a formal announcement expected from Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders.