Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday hit out at the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) over its eagerness to join hands with the BJP, saying the people of Punjab would never forgive the saffron party for the deaths of 750 farmers during the farmers’ struggle. During a Lok Milni at village Kahlwan in Kartarpur, he said the Akalis and Congress had no agenda for Punjab and were driven solely by a hunger for power, in contrast to his government which, he said, had delivered tangible benefits to people through an honest and people-centric administration.
Pointing to zero electricity bills for 90% of households, daytime canal water for farmers and 70,840 government jobs provided without bribes or recommendations, the Chief Minister said the people of Punjab could clearly see the difference between the earlier “Government of Thieves” and the present “Honest Government.” He also tore into the Akalis of spreading drugs across the state, while asserting that his government was bringing the drug menace under control.
Sharing a few snippets from the Lok Milni, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated on X: “Today, seeing the overwhelming gathering and the immense love of the people at village Kahlwan in Kartarpur filled my heart with joy. Your encouragement gives me even greater strength. Our government started taking people-centric decisions from day one. Electricity bills are now zero for 90% of households, farmers are receiving canal water during the daytime, and 70,840 young people have been provided government jobs without any bribe or recommendation.”
“Tomorrow, on the sacred occasion of Raksha Bandhan, the shagun under the ‘Satkar Yojana’ will also reach the accounts of my sisters. I have also handed over a cheque of ₹51 lakh to the Panchayat for the development of village Kahlwan. The people’s money will be spent on the people of Punjab,” the post concluded.
Addressing a huge crowd during Lok Milni,CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, “Wherever I go, people shower immense love on me, whereas they hesitate to even shake hands with the Congress and Akalis. I did not come into politics to earn money; I came to serve the people. I left my fame behind for the service of Punjab and its people.”
The Chief Minister said the successive governments in Punjab had pushed the state’s youth towards drugs, which was one of the reasons that motivated him to enter politics. He said the people of Punjab gave the AAP a historic mandate in 2022, defeating several political stalwarts, including Parkash Singh Badal, Charanjit Singh Channi, Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, even from their traditional strongholds. “The people of Punjab used their power to defeat those who worked against their interests and sent them into political oblivion. After this, an honest government assumed charge in the state. These traditional political parties have only one agenda, to defame Punjab. They want power only to loot the people,” he added.
He said the traditional political leaders were unable to digest the fact that a person from a common family was running the state and working tirelessly for the welfare of its people. “They are envious of me because I come from a common family and am working day and night for the welfare of the people. These leaders always believed that they had a divine right to rule Punjab. They are unable to digest that a common man is running the state efficiently. They fooled the people for a long time, but now people are not getting swayed by their misleading propaganda,” he added.
The Chief Minister said the people of Punjab had rejected leaders who had lived in palatial houses during their years in power and remained disconnected from the common people. “Those who claimed they would rule Punjab for 25 years have been sent into political oblivion by the people. Today, they cannot even find five people to constitute a committee. The wise and brave people of Punjab have taught these dubious and arrogant leaders a befitting lesson for their misdeeds,” he added.
Coming down heavily on the Akali Dal, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “During their long misrule, the Akalis committed the sin of beadbi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, shielded the perpetrators of this heinous crime and allowed firing on innocent people. They plundered Punjab mercilessly, bruised the psyche of Punjabis and patronised several mafias in the state. Every vote for the Akali Dal will be a mandate in favour of beadbi. The Akali leadership can never be forgiven for the damage it has caused to Punjab. They patronised the drug trade, and drugs flourished during their long era of misrule.”
He pointed out, “To satisfy their lust for power, the Akali Dal is now begging for an alliance with the BJP, whose hands are drenched in the blood of more than 700 farmers who attained martyrdom while protesting against the draconian anti-farmer laws. This Akali-BJP alliance has no ideology or concern for public welfare. Its sole aim is to grab power in Punjab.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said the people would not be fooled by such political manoeuvring and would give both parties a befitting answer. “The Akali leaders are always concerned about their own interests rather than Punjab or Punjabis. Even if the Prime Minister calls to enquire about their health, they start dreaming about an alliance with Delhi to loot Punjab. The AAP is committed only to Punjab and its people.”
Taking potshots at the Congress infighting within the Congress, the Chief Minister said, “They are squabbling for power for their vested political interests, while we are working tirelessly to make Rangla Punjab. We do not fight among ourselves; our fight is for quality education, good healthcare and the welfare of the people.”
He said the Congress had no vision for Punjab and its only objective was to assume power and plunder the state’s wealth. “Congress has no vision for the people and the state. Its only aim is to plunder the wealth of Punjab by assuming power, but its dreams will never be fulfilled. The Congress is a divided house that will collapse because of its own infighting. It is a pity that even the senior Congress leaders who come to unite them are not aware of how to pronounce their names,” he added.
The Chief Minister stated he had worked tirelessly for the development of Punjab and ensured that public money was spent judiciously on public welfare. “I have put my sweat and toil into ensuring the development of Punjab. Unlike my predecessors, I have never sought even a single penny from the public exchequer for myself. Instead, I have ensured that every single rupee of taxpayers’ money is spent judiciously for public welfare,” he added.
He said that being a son and brother of the people, he understood their hardships and had remained accessible to them instead of living in the luxury of palatial residences. “None of the earlier rulers came to the people in this manner to have a thorough conversation about their hardships and resolve them with a missionary zeal. Those arrogant politicians confined themselves behind the high walls of their big residences. I have always remained in the field, taking feedback from people and framing development-oriented and citizen-centric policies,” he added.
Highlighting the Punjab Government’s initiatives, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that while public-sector assets were being privatised elsewhere in the country, his government had acquired a private thermal power plant for ₹1,080 crore. The plant, earlier known as GVK Thermal Power Plant, has been renamed after Sri Guru Amar Das Ji, the Third Sikh Guru. “The people’s money belongs to the people. We are judiciously spending every penny of the state exchequer for their welfare. People’s money is coming back to people through development, schools, hospitals and roads,” he added.
The Chief Minister said, “Today, more than 90% of households in Punjab are getting free power. Farmers are also getting electricity during the daytime, which is unprecedented. Earlier, there was a ‘Government of Thieves’ where no work got done. Today, there is an ‘Honest Government’ and all the work is being done.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “We are working tirelessly for the development of villages. To wean our youth away from drugs, 3,100 sports stadiums are being constructed across the state. Education is also our top priority, and we have taken path-breaking initiatives to transform the education sector.”
The Chief Minister said, “No freebie or concession card can eliminate poverty or other social maladies. Education is the key that can pull people out of this vicious circle by raising their standard of living. That is why our government is tirelessly working to improve the standard of education and empower the common people.”
He said 45,000 kilometres of roads were being renovated and upgraded to facilitate residents across the state. “When we came to power, only 26% of the area was under canal irrigation. Today, this has increased to 80%, immensely benefiting our farmers,” he added.
The Chief Minister said the government had launched the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna to provide comprehensive healthcare to the people of Punjab. “Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna is the first-of-its-kind scheme in the country, providing cashless medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh to every resident family of Punjab. Punjab is the first Indian state to offer such comprehensive healthcare coverage. It has significantly eased the financial burden on people while ensuring quality healthcare,” he added.
On the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, CM bBhagwant Singh Mann said, “Under the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, every woman beneficiary above the age of 18 will receive financial assistance of ₹1,000 and ₹1,500 for SC women. The amount will be directly transferred into their bank accounts, and women already receiving social security pensions will also be eligible. 97% of women in Punjab were expected to benefit from the scheme and the state government had allocated ₹9,300 crore in the budget for it.
The Chief Minister said that as a Rakhi bonanza, beneficiaries of the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna would receive their instalment on August 28, the festival of Raksha Bandhan. “This Rakhi, the women beneficiaries of the Mukh Mantri Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna will receive their instalment of financial assistance. This scheme is a recognition of the dignity and respect of women. I appeal to all remaining eligible women to register themselves and avail the benefits,” he added.
On the occasion, MLA Balkar Singh, Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and others were also present.
