Mukerian (Hoshiarpur), July 15
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday asserted that Punjab’s journey towards becoming the number one state in every sector would continue with the support and trust of its people, saying the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has fulfilled every promise made to the people through transformative initiatives in education, healthcare, power and social welfare. During a massive public gathering in Mukerian Halqa, the Chief Minister said his politics is not about holding on to power but about ensuring the progress and prosperity of the people of Punjab.
The Chief Minister said that while his government remained focused on empowering people and delivering on its commitments, the Congress is busy fighting for power and has already declared that it would discontinue the government’s welfare schemes if voted to office. Bhagwant Singh Mann also reiterated that those responsible for the beadbi (sacrilege) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib would not be spared and would face the full force of the law.
Addressing the gathering, Mann stated, “In the Congress, no leader stands with another because everyone wants to become the Chief Minister without bothering about the people. The Congress leadership claims that all its leaders will embark on a bus journey which will be flagged off by Rahul Gandhi. They may go together, but they certainly will not return together because everyone will be injured due to their intense infighting.”
The Chief Minister called upon the people to give the AAP such a massive mandate, on the basis of its pro-people works, that these opportunistic leaders do not get a chance to form the government and fight for the Chief Minister’s chair. “Do not hand over power to these greedy leaders because they will stop all the schemes started by the AAP government for public welfare. The Congress leaders have repeatedly claimed that if voted to power, they will discontinue these schemes,” he said.
Taking potshots at the Akali Dal, Mann said, “The Akali Dal wants to capture power by making false promises to the people, but the people of Punjab will not be misled by them. The people elected the Badals as Chief Minister five times, but they never did anything good for the state or its people.”
Taking a jibe at Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Badal, he said, “The Akali leaders have lost their base among the people. They are using paid workers to show crowds at their rallies. The same crowd is seen at every Akali rally. These people once claimed that they would rule Punjab for 25 years, but the wise and courageous people of the state pushed them into political oblivion. These opportunistic leaders change their colours and their stand like a chameleon according to their convenience and vested political interests. The entire state knows their real face because they have always misled the people through political gimmicks.”
The Chief Minister said, “Due to the strenuous efforts of the state government, Punjab has surpassed Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi to secure the number one position in primary and middle school education. We have upgraded primary and middle schools, strengthened the education system, introduced smart classrooms and provided advanced training to teachers. As a result of these efforts, Punjab is excelling in the school education sector. The latest figures released by NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog show that Punjab has surpassed Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi to secure the number one position in primary and middle school education.”