Baba Bakala: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today launched a scathing attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal, saying that the party which seeks votes in the name of religion has never raised voice on Punjab’s issues in Parliament. Addressing a large gathering during a state-level function organized on the occasion of Rakhar Punya, the Chief Minister said that it is very sad that the leaders who enjoy power in the name of religion remained mute spectators on Punjab’s issues in Parliament.
Citing an example, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that during his tenure as a Lok Sabha member, on December 26, 2018, he had appealed to the then Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to pay tribute to the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh Ji on the day of their martyrdom. He said that the Lok Sabha Speaker agreed to his appeal and for the first time in the history of Parliament, paid tribute to the Sahibzadas as a mark of respect, who did not give in to oppression and injustice.Â
The Chief Minister said that I am surprised that the Akali Dal never even made any request to confer Parliamentary honour on the Sahibzadas, while this party claims to be Panthprastha and Punjabprastha. What else can be expected from them regarding the issues of Punjab?
The BJP, which is teaching Punjab about law and order, should look into its own affairs before pointing fingers at anyone. He said that the BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have to impose curfew on festivals like Ram Navami, which is a living example of the deteriorating law and order situation there. He also reminded the BJP of the curfew imposed in Haryana’s Nuh area.Â
 The Chief Minister said that the BJP people give me advice on law and order. I can say this with great pride that festivals of all religions are celebrated with mutual harmony in Punjab. During my tenure, there was not a single day of curfew here because our land is the land of Gurus and martyrs, due to which Punjabis are known all over the world for their mutual love and brotherhood.
Taking a jibe at the opposition leaders who went into political oblivion after losing badly in the Jalandhar West by-election, the Chief Minister said that after this election, opposition leader Pratap Singh Bajwa and BJP state president Sunil Jakhar have suffered such a big setback that they have ‘disappeared’ from the political arena. He said that the people of Punjab have clearly told these leaders that now there is no place for nepotism in politics, but only those leaders who raise the voice of the common people can reach the pinnacle of power.
Promising to turn compulsion into choice in the education and health sector, the Chief Minister said that state-of-the-art infrastructure is being provided in government schools and hospitals. He said that in the coming times, it will be the choice of the people whether they want to educate their children in government schools or private schools, but the level of education will be the same but the only difference will be that no fees will be charged in government schools. Similarly, free treatment will be available in government hospitals at par with private hospitals. The Chief Minister said that he wants to see Punjab at great heights, for which he is making great efforts.
The Chief Minister said that to provide quality healthcare services to the people, the Punjab Government has established 842 Aam Aadmi Clinics across the state, which have laid the foundation of a new revolution in the health sector. He said that so far more than 2 crore people have availed the benefits of these clinics and 95% of the patients visiting these clinics have been relieved of their diseases. He said that 30 more such clinics are being established, which will provide better healthcare facilities to the people near their homes.
The Chief Minister said that the facility of providing free electricity to the people was started in the year 2022 and at present 90 percent of the houses are getting free electricity. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is even more satisfying that along with domestic electricity, uninterrupted free electricity is also being provided to the farms.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has set a new record by giving government jobs to 44700 youth of the state in its tenure of only 880 days, due to which on an average 51 youth have got government jobs every day in the last two and a half years. He said that the entire recruitment has been done in a transparent manner on the basis of merit. He said that the youth’s faith in the policies and intentions of the state government has increased, due to which they are preparing for government jobs by staying here, giving up their intention of going abroad.Â
The Chief Minister said that the state government has set up a dedicated road safety force, the first of its kind in the country, to save precious lives and enhance safety in road accidents on state and national highways. Sharing the statistics, he said that the force, which was started on February 1, has saved more than 1200 precious lives in road accidents over the past year.Â
Congratulating women on the auspicious festival of Raksha Bandhan, the Chief Minister said the government was taking several steps to give more rights to women. He said the state government had tried to implement the principle of equality and at present six districts in the state had women officers posted as senior police superintendents and eight districts had women deputy commissioners. He said girls would be recruited in the fire brigade for the first time and Punjab would be the first state to take such a step.
Expressing strong objection to the funds being stopped by the Centre, the Chief Minister said that Punjab does not beg from the Centre, but demands its rights. He said that we collect GST and deposit it with the Centre and demand our share from it, hence the Centre is not doing any favour to us.
On the occasion of Rakhar Punya, the Chief Minister bowed down at the historic Gurdwara Ninth Patshah Ji and prayed for ‘Sarbat ke Bhale’. The Chief Minister said that Ninth Patshah Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji spent a long time in devotion on the historic and holy land of Baba Bakala. He said that the great Sikh Guru Sahibans have inspired people to fight against injustice and oppression, due to which Punjabis have always led the country in the fight against evil.Â
The Chief Minister stressed that Punjabis also have an important place in the national freedom struggle and we are proud of their bravery and unique contribution.
