Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday pitched himself as the ‘son of a common man’ and stated that other traditional political parties were jealous of him as he had been ‘able to govern the state efficiently’.
The CM, who handed out compensation to the residents of Fazilka’s Abohar who had suffered damage during the 2020 floods, claimed that the people of the state had lost their faith in traditional political parties because of their anti-people and anti-Punjab stance.
Mann then went on to state that it was unfortunate that the floods of 2020 had caused a whopping damage to both fields and the property of residents.
However, except lip service, the then Congress government had done nothing to provide relief, he claimed. He said that instead of extending a helping hand to the flood affected people, the leaders of the government then sat on the issue of disbursing compensation, further aggravating the situation for people who were already in distress. He asserted that the apathetic attitude of the then government was visible from the fact that not even a single penny was given as compensation to the people.
The CM then trained his gun on anyone who had indulged in any wrongdoing or corruption, promising that the wrongdoers will face action irrespective of whether he is a member of the BJP, which leads the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
He said when the Vigilance Bureau’s report comes, he does not see whether a person who has done any wrong belongs to party ‘A’ or ‘B’.
Without taking names, Mann said, “Anyone who has indulged in corruption will face action”. “Ara Sarayan te chalu, BJP jaan da eh matlab nahin bach javunge, jeda dekho BJP nu turya janda hai,” he said in Punjabi, asserting that all wrongdoers will face action and anyone joining the BJP does not mean that they will be saved.
Again without taking any names, Mann said “they are not joining them out of love for BJP’s policies, but they are scared of action…”.
“Trust me, anyone who has looted Punjab’s coffers, be it five years ago or 10 years ago, it will be recovered with interest,” he said, while addressing the gathering at an event in Abohar.
Taking a dig at former state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, the CM said that in his long stint as the in-charge of Punjab’s finances ,he had always claimed that the coffers of the state was empty. He added that after failing to perform his duty as the finance minister to ensure the well being of the state, Manpreet Badal has now joined the BJP.
He also slammed the previous regimes of Punjab — under the Congress and the Akalis — for patronizing gangsters for their vested political interests. He claimed that gangsters in Punjab had not suddenly appeared after the AAP was sworn to power last year. “These gangsters have been patronized over the years by the Congress and Akali leaders during their tenure as these leaders and parties used them for their vested interests by handing over guns to them,” the CM said.
WITH PTI
