Adampur, April 14: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday accused the Congress and Akali Dal of treating Punjab’s governance like a “game of musical chairs,” waiting for their respective turns to plunder the state’s resources. Addressing a gathering in Adampur to celebrate the legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Mann stated that traditional parties are now “baffled” by the AAP government’s focus on the welfare of the common man.
Mann asserted that previous regimes kept the poor trapped in poverty by denying them the dignity of a proper education. He cited past policies that prevented students from failing until the ninth grade as a “ruinous” tactic that left them unprepared for the future. The Chief Minister affirmed that his administration has replaced this approach with path-breaking initiatives in the health and education sectors, including the provision of 300 units of free electricity and over 65,000 government jobs.
“These leaders who were born with silver spoons are not aware of the hardships faced by the common man,” Mann stated, dismissing the criticisms leveled by opposition leaders against his government’s welfare schemes. He maintained that while other parties use their platforms to discuss power-grabbing, the AAP uses its stage to discuss agriculture, health, and the empowerment of women.
The Chief Minister also called for greater participation of women in politics, asserting that it is imperative for girls to become active partners in the decision-making process to create an egalitarian society. He declared that the ‘Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana’ would benefit 97% of women in the state, providing them with the choice and dignity that were missing under decades of Congress-Akali rule.
In a sharp quip against Akali leadership, Mann stated that the people of Punjab are well aware of the “dubious character” of those who previously patronized drug modules and mismanaged state resources. He concluded by affirming that the current government is judiciously utilizing every single penny of taxpayer money to realize the dreams of both Ambedkar and Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.
