Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of indulging in “election-time freebie politics”.He claimed that people in the state are disillusioned with the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and have made up their mind to bring about a change in power in the next Assembly elections.Addressing a press conference here today, Saini said that people were now looking for an alternative ahead of the next poll.Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana was also present on the occasion.Targeting the AAP government in Punjab over the lathi-charge and use of water cannons on women in Mohali, Saini said that on International Women’s Day, when women should have been honoured, incidents of brutality against them were witnessed in the neighbouring state. He claimed that several women were injured in the action taken against them and many are still undergoing treatment in hospitals.He said in contrast, the Haryana Government organised a state-level programme in Sirsa and transferred benefits worth crores of rupees directly into the bank accounts of women beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.Responding to the Punjab Government’s Budget announcement of providing Rs 1,500 to women from the SC category and Rs 1,000 to other women, the Chief Minister said the AAP government is making such promises with the upcoming Assembly elections in mind.Saini said that whether it was the earlier Congress governments or the present AAP regime, both had a history of making populist promises and distributing “freebies” during elections.Taking a swipe at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said that Kejriwal too used to make attractive announcements during elections and claimed that the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab would face a similar outcome in the next Assembly poll.The Chief Minister said that whenever people from Punjab meet him, they complain that the state government is creating hurdles in implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a result, many eligible beneficiaries are unable to avail the scheme’s benefits.He further claimed that whenever he travels to Punjab to hold public programmes, the venue is often shifted multiple times. In some places, tents at his events are torn down, while at others, JCB machines are allegedly used to dig up the ground to disrupt the programmes, he alleged.“The government in Punjab is not functioning according to democratic principles. When Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann visits Haryana, he is given full respect. However, I have been shown black flags at several places in Punjab though we have never allowed anyone to show black flags to him in Haryana. The people of Punjab understand everything and the government stands exposed,” Saini said.