Akalis should come out of the imaginary world, now their turn has come to go to jail: CM Mann

Phagwara: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, in a scathing attack on Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress, said that the era of political parties ruling Punjab one by one is over and those who hurt the trust of the state will be held accountable. Addressing a huge gathering during the ‘Lok Milni’ in Phagwara, the Chief Minister said that while the ‘broom’ of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is cleaning the political system of Punjab, the two sides of the same coin—the Akali and the Congress—are now fighting for their political survival after serving their personal interests for decades.

Questioning the Akali leadership for misleading the people and their credibility, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that those who lied before Sri Akal Takht Sahib cannot be loyal to anyone. He further said that Congress is on its last legs due to its internal fighting, while Punjab is witnessing unprecedented progress in the sectors of education, health, power and welfare under the people-friendly governance of the AAP government.

Addressing the public meeting, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, "Gone are the days when these parties used to play the game of ‘cut the answer and climb’ and wait for their turn in power. In fact, these parties protected each other’s interests while in power, due to which their misdeeds never came to light. But now people have chosen Aam Aadmi Party and the election symbol of this party ‘Broom’ is cleaning the political system of the state. The day is not far when Akalis will be behind the bars for their sins."

The Chief Minister said, "Akali and Congress are two sides of the same coin. They do not care about people, but are only concerned about their personal interests. He himself committed sacrilege incidents at many places and lied before Sri Akal Takht Sahib and later admitted it. He got youths killed during terrorism and even gave promotions to guilty police officers. He earned himself the title of ‘Fakhr-e-Qaum’ while he helped in safely evacuating the culprits of the 1978 incident."

Lashing out at the Akali leadership, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, "Sukhbir Badal is unaware of the ground realities because he has lived his entire life in a safe environment with luxuries and comforts. Sukhbir Singh Badal is a convent-educated political leader, who is not even aware of the basic geography of the state, but wants to gain political power in Punjab. The former Deputy Chief Minister cannot even differentiate between the main crops of the state as he has little understanding about the basic issues."

Referring to the issue of sacrilege, the Chief Minister said, "Whenever incidents of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji took place, the mentality of crores of people was deeply hurt. God has given me the strength to bring this bill after detailed discussions with legal experts. The state government has prepared this bill with great care so that any amendment or omission in future cannot weaken it."

The Chief Minister further said, "This bill will act as a deterrent measure to prevent anti-social elements from committing any such sin in future and no one will ever dare to commit such a heinous crime. The Akalis were never amenable to making such a law during their days in power. The truth is that his intentions were wrong from the beginning. The Akalis allowed incidents of sacrilege to take place for their political interests. He also admitted his mistakes in front of Sri Akal Takht Sahib but later publicly retracted it in front of the people. Those who can lie in front of Takht Sahib can never be loyal to anyone. People should beware of such leaders who are not loyal to anyone and just want to grab power to loot the state."

The Chief Minister said, "The Akalis misused religion for their personal interests. Jathedars’ money comes from the pockets of Akalis, due to which they remain active in politics also. These people have no agenda, rather their only aim is to defame me in any way possible. People are well aware of the duplicitous character of these leaders, who will never be impressed by their dramatic moves."

Taking aim at Congress, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, "The Congress party is on the verge of being completely out of power, which will end soon because this party has no vision for the people and the state. Their only aim is to take power and loot the treasury of Punjab but their dreams will never be fulfilled. The Congress party is a victim of factionalism which will soon collapse due to its conflicts. It is a matter of regret that the top Congress leaders who are trying to unite these leaders fighting for power do not even know the correct pronunciation of their names."

Talking about the role of governance in giving the right direction to the future of Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The job of any government is to give wings to the dreams of children so that they can write a new story of success in life. Every file I sign is for the benefit of the common man and the state. More than 67,000 government jobs have been given to the youth without any corruption or recommendation. Every decision of the government is focused towards the progress of the state and the well-being of its people.

Highlighting the revolution in the education sector, the Chief Minister said, “Schools of Eminence have been established across the state to provide quality education to the students. These schools have smart classrooms, fully equipped laboratories and play grounds for scientific education. A special program has been started to hone the expertise of teachers, under which teachers and principals are being sent abroad for training to ensure that they are well versed with modern education methods. By becoming familiar and preparing the students of the state for future competitions at the international level, it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that Punjab has overtaken Kerala and secured the first position in the National Achievement Survey conducted by the Government of India.

The Chief Minister further said that students are being given special coaching for competitive examinations like Armed Forces Examination, NEET, JEE, CLAT and NIFT. It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that students from Schools of Eminence and other government schools have qualified for JEE Mains, JEE Advanced and NEET examinations. Punjab has become the first state to provide free health services to all citizens and around 1,000 Aam Aadmi clinics are providing free treatment daily.

Highlighting the reforms undertaken by his government in the power sector, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “After the ‘AAP’ government takes power in 2022, almost 90 per cent of households in the state are getting free electricity. For the first time in the history of Punjab, more than eight hours of uninterrupted power supply is being provided to agricultural motors even during the day time during the paddy season. The ‘AAP’ government has laid 14,000 km of pipelines across the state for the convenience of farmers and Made of skins.

The Chief Minister said that 21,000 cusecs of water has been released through these pipelines and canals to meet the irrigation needs of farmers. This water released by the state government is equal to the water supplied by the two Bhakra canals. Farmers across Punjab will greatly benefit from this initiative. Recharge points have been created in canals and rivers to improve groundwater levels and in many areas the water level has already risen by two to four metres.

The Chief Minister said that the AAP government is committed to ensure that the benefits of development reach every village, farmer and household in the state.

Referring to the people-centric governance model of the ‘AAP’ government, the Chief Minister said, “Taxpayers’ money is being spent judiciously on the well-being of the people and it is coming back to them through the development of schools, hospitals and roads. The state government is now working for the people and toll plazas have been closed, leading to a saving of Rs 70 lakh per day. The ‘AAP’ government is making sincere efforts for the welfare of every section of the society and is making efforts for this noble cause. No stone is being left unturned for this.”

Referring to the Maawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The AAP government has launched the Mukhyamantri Maawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, under which women above 18 years of age will get Rs 1,000 per month, while Scheduled Caste women will get financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month. Rs 1,000 to 1,500 is a significant amount for the common people, especially the poor. This amount is very important for mothers and daughters. It is a symbol of respect and the smile on the faces of women due to this scheme gives me great satisfaction.”

Highlighting the Chief Minister Health Scheme, the Chief Minister said, “To provide comprehensive health services to the people, the AAP government has launched the Chief Minister Health Scheme, which is the first of its kind in the country. Under this, cashless medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh is provided to every resident family of Punjab. It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that Punjab is the first Indian state to provide such comprehensive health care, which has succeeded in reducing the financial burden on the public to a great extent while ensuring quality health services.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann further said, “This historic step aims to provide comprehensive health services to all families in the state. People have received free treatment worth more than Rs 650 crore so far under this scheme.”

The Chief Minister said, “Today Punjab is progressing rapidly in every field as the state government has taken every possible step for the all-round development of Punjab. The ‘AAP’ government has taken innovative initiatives in health, education, power and other sectors. The construction of more than 49,000 kilometers of rural roads is going on at full speed and will be completed soon.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The government has closed 19 toll plazas in Punjab, thereby saving Rs 70 lakh per day from the pockets of the common people in the form of toll fee. The ‘AAP’ government has so far fulfilled every promise made to the people of the state and Punjab is the first state to do so. The only agenda of the state government is to ensure the progress of the state and the well-being of the people.”

During this, the Chief Minister also announced a grant of more than Rs 18 crore for the development of Phagwara assembly constituency.

The Chief Minister said, “No stone will be left unturned for the development of the constituency.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also directed the Deputy Commissioner to give more powers to ADC Phagwara so that the people of the area do not have to go to Kapurthala for minor works.

Explaining the actual objective of the Lok Milani programme, the Chief Minister said, “Lok Milani is not a political programme. The sole objective of the state government is to bring development and prosperity. Lok Milani acts as a bridge between the government and the public. The ‘AAP’ government is working tirelessly for the welfare of the people and many important initiatives have already been taken in the state.”

On this occasion, Lok Sabha member Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal and many other dignitaries were also present.