Amid thunderous slogans, roaring crowds and an overwhelming outpouring of affection during a Lok Milni at village Saahib Chand in the Gidderbaha constituency, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday received siropas, portraits and blessings from villagers who gathered in huge numbers to welcome him. Riding on massive public enthusiasm, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann launched a fierce attack on divisive politics, declaring that Punjab’s peace, communal harmony and brotherhood would never be allowed to be disturbed for political gains.
Warning that anti-Punjab forces are trying to drag the state back into dark days through communal polarization, the Chief Minister asserted that Punjab’s soil can nurture everything except hatred and animosity, and said the people of the state would unitedly defeat every attempt to spread fear and division. Targeting the BJP over its “politics of creating divisions between communities”, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said Punjab celebrates every festival together and would firmly reject such agendas, while also asserting that the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026 would ensure that no sacrilege accused escapes punishment by exploiting loopholes in law.
Addressing the Lok Milni gathering, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann asserted that Punjab’s spiritual and cultural legacy stands firmly against hatred and divisive politics, and warned that Punjabis must unite to defeat every attempt aimed at pushing the state back into dark days. He said Punjab is the sacred land of great Gurus, saints and seers who have shown the path of mutual love, tolerance and harmony. “Punjab has a very fertile land and anything can germinate on it except hatred and animosity. The social bonding amongst people is already very strong and people should come together to further strengthen it,” he said.
The Chief Minister categorically said that it is high time Punjabis united to give a befitting reply to divisive forces inimical to the peace, amity and communal harmony of the state. “Those trying to disturb communal harmony are enemies of Punjab because they again want to push the state into black days,” he said.
Targeting the BJP, the Chief Minister said the saffron party had gained power in Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal through divisive politics, but would never succeed in Punjab because Punjabis celebrate every festival together. “Some political parties are trying to divide people in the name of religion. BJP’s politics revolves around creating divisions between communities and then frightening both sides for votes. Punjab must outrightly reject such forces because the state has already witnessed dark days in the past which derailed its development,” he said.
Speaking about his ongoing “Shukrana Yatra”, the Chief Minister said he had undertaken the yatra to thank the Almighty for bestowing upon him the opportunity to enact the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026. He said huge gatherings of devotees welcomed him with blessings, flowers and siropas throughout the journey for enacting and implementing strict laws to stop sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. “Despite intense heat, mothers, sisters and millions of people have gathered on the route. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for showering their blessings and support,” he said.
The Chief Minister said whenever incidents of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji took place, the psyche of millions of people was deeply hurt. He said there was always hope that culprits would be caught and punished, but loopholes in the law allowed them to escape punishment by declaring themselves mentally unstable. “Many times, culprits escaped the gallows by saying ‘my mind is disturbed’ or ‘he is mentally ill’, and they walked free,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
However, the Chief Minister questioned why someone claiming mental instability would specifically target Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji alone. “If someone is truly mentally unstable, then why does he only target Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji? Why does he not crash into a train engine or touch live electric wires? The truth is that such acts were often deliberate and orchestrated,” he said.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said the Punjab Government had now plugged such loopholes through the new law by including a clause that even if someone is medically declared mentally unstable, their custodians, parents, guardians or caretakers would also face criminal charges. “There will be no bail for at least ten years and in severe cases punishment can extend up to life imprisonment,” he added.
The Chief Minister said the Almighty had blessed him with the wisdom and strength to bring this Bill after detailed consultations with legal experts. He said the Punjab Government had drafted the legislation carefully so that no future amendments or loopholes could weaken it.
Targeting the Badal family, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said they would never support this law because their own names were linked to sacrilege incidents. “People kept voting for them believing they carried the legacy of Baba Nanak, but they deliberately allowed Baba Nanak’s Bani to be insulted on the streets. They even ordered water cannons and bullets against peacefully protesting devotees. What else can be expected from them?” he asked.
The Chief Minister said ever since the law was passed, not a single Akali Dal leader was visible in Punjab because they had quietly left for foreign countries fearing their names would surface. “The Almighty does not bless dishonest people forever. These are the same people who once claimed they would rule Punjab for 25 years. Today they do not even have 25 candidates left to distribute election tickets because people have sent them into political oblivion,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
Lashing out at the Akalis, the Chief Minister said they were never sincere about bringing such a law while in power because their intentions were flawed. “The Akalis allowed sacrilege incidents to take place for political gains. They admitted their mistakes before Akal Takht Sahib but later denied them publicly. Those who can lie before the Takht can never be loyal to anyone,” he said.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann warned people to stay cautious of such leaders who only wanted political power to plunder Punjab. Coming down heavily on the BJP, he said violence, divisiveness and communal tension were a patent of the saffron party and an integral part of its politics. “BJP is trying to incite violence and fear in Punjab on the pattern of Bengal to win the ensuing polls, but its nefarious designs will never succeed in Punjab,” the Chief Minister said, reiterating the Punjab Government’s commitment to peace, unity and democratic values.
The Chief Minister said Punjab has always stood as a beacon of communal harmony and resilience, and any attempt to disturb its peace would be firmly resisted. “Violence is a brand of BJP’s politics and is aimed solely at garnering votes by creating terror and panic. This divisive politics is being pursued by BJP in every poll-bound state for electoral gains,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
He said now that the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026 had been passed, anti-Punjab forces would not be able to fulfil their nefarious designs. “Baffled by this, BJP is now resorting to acts aimed at disturbing Punjab’s hard-earned peace, but this will never be allowed,” he asserted.
The Chief Minister said he has always remained among people to seek feedback for framing development-oriented and citizen-centric policies, which has upset the opposition parties. “The entire opposition has joined hands against me with a clear-cut strategy to defame me by leveling false and irrational allegations. These forces are trying to sway people by creating fake and derogatory narratives, but people will teach them a lesson,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
The Chief Minister said the wise people of Punjab are fully aware of the dubious and treacherous character of opposition leaders and would certainly teach them a lesson. “These cheap theatrics can never deter me from serving the people of Punjab. I will continue to discharge this responsibility till my last breath,” he said.
Lashing out at the opposition, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said these parties had no agenda against the Punjab Government because the Punjab Government had taken several key decisions for public welfare.
Taking a jibe at the Akali Dal’s “Punjab Bachao Yatra”, the Chief Minister said its real name was “Parivar Bachao Yatra”. “After looting Punjab for 15 years, they should explain from whom they are trying to save the state,” he remarked.
The Chief Minister said the Akalis had mercilessly plundered Punjab, bruised the psyche of Punjabis emotionally and patronised several mafias. “The Akali leadership can never be forgiven because generations of Punjab were destroyed as the drug trade flourished during their long era of misrule,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
The Chief Minister said the Akalis should be booked for the genocide of generations because the drug trade was patronised by them and flourished during their rule. “The hands of these leaders are drenched with the blood of millions of youth who fell prey to drugs supplied in the state in their official vehicles. Their sins are unpardonable and people can never forgive them for their long saga of misdeeds,” he added.
Coming down heavily on the Akali leadership, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said these were opportunistic leaders who changed colours and stances like chameleons according to political convenience. He said everyone knows the family was a stooge of the Britishers and was conferred the title of “Sir” for hobnobbing against patriots who fought for the country.
The Chief Minister said the family had hosted a dinner for General Dyer after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919. “Not only this, they ensured General Dyer was bestowed siropa and forgiveness at Sri Harmandir Sahib. Jathedar Arood Singh, who granted the siropa, was the maternal grandfather of former Lok Sabha MP Simarjit Singh Mann,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
He said history cannot be erased and the dubious character of Badal’s ancestors is etched in history forever. “The hands of this family are drenched with the blood of patriots and their betrayal of nationalists can never be forgotten,” he added.
Training his guns against Congress, the Chief Minister said every Congress leader aspired to become Chief Minister and the party had more chief ministerial aspirants than ordinary workers. Taking a jibe at Congress leaders dreaming of returning to power, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said Congress was a divided house that would collapse because of internal infighting.
He also attacked Congress over the attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib, the 1984 riots and several anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab decisions, which he said could never be forgiven.
Highlighting welfare initiatives of the Punjab Government, the Chief Minister said public money was now being spent transparently on schools, hospitals, roads and development. He said 90% households were getting free electricity, more than 65,000 youth had received jobs without corruption, roads had improved and toll plazas had been shut, saving nearly ₹70 lakh daily.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said no freebie or concession card could permanently eradicate poverty, and only education had the power to pull people out of the vicious cycle of deprivation. “Education is the light that illuminates the world by dispelling darkness. That is why the Punjab Government is laying special thrust on education,” he said.
The Chief Minister said Punjab securing first position in foundational education ahead of Kerala in NITI Aayog’s 2026 report was a matter of immense pride and satisfaction.
Highlighting the health sector reforms, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said the Punjab Government had launched the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna under which health cards were being issued to all 65 lakh families in Punjab, entitling every family to free treatment up to ₹10 lakh. He said more than 30 lakh beneficiaries had already received health cards and 1.65 lakh people had availed free treatment under the scheme.
The Chief Minister urged people to take maximum benefit from the scheme and said for the first time in Punjab’s history, farmers were receiving more than eight hours of uninterrupted power supply during paddy season. He said farmers were now getting daytime electricity for irrigation, transforming their lives.
Talking about the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, the Chief Minister said the Punjab Government had started the scheme to provide ₹1000 per month to other categories women and ₹1500 per month to SC category women above 18 years of age. “This is not a political function but a platform to interact with people. Earlier governments came and went but never bothered about the wellbeing of the masses. They only played musical chairs while plundering Punjab’s wealth,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
He said people eventually voted for the broom, resulting in the transformation of schools, hospitals and governance across Punjab.
The Chief Minister said Akali leaders were now begging for one more chance despite already getting five opportunities from the people earlier. “Instead of serving people, they looted Punjab and that is why people showed them the door. These parties only wait for their turn in power so they can plunder Punjab again,” he said.
Highlighting irrigation reforms, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said it was a matter of immense pride that 68% canal water was now being used for irrigation and this would be increased to 85% by the coming paddy season. He said the Punjab Government had laid 14,000 kilometres of pipelines and watercourses across the state and released 21,000 cusecs of water to benefit farmers.
“This water is equal to the supply of two Bhakra canals. Recharge points have been created in canals and rivers due to which groundwater levels have increased by two to four metres. This decision is aimed at securing the wellbeing of future generations because Punjab exists because of water,” the Chief Minister added.
