Fazilka, Mar 22 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday hit out at the opposition Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), alleging that these parties “plundered” the state when they were in power and were now joining hands to ruin it.
Addressing a rally, Mann urged the people to come together to show the door to these parties and voiced confidence that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will win more than 100 seats in 2027 to form the government again owing to its “pro-people and development-oriented policies”.
The massive support shown by the people is a testimony to the fact that people are waiting to teach traditional parties a lesson again, the chief minister said.
Their leaders want to ruin the state by patronising drugs and criminals, due to which people had ousted them from power, he alleged.
Now all these “anti-Punjab forces have joined hands to ruin Punjab and the time has come when Punjabis should also join hands to show them the door”, said Mann.
His remarks came on a day the Congress, SAD and the BJP organised a joint protest in Chandigarh to demand the arrest of former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, who is accused of abetting the suicide of a state warehousing corporation official.
“In the last four years, the state government has done more work than others did in 70 years,” Mann said.
“The AAP government is working tirelessly for the welfare of people, whereas the rival parties have always sought a share in the successful ventures during their days in power,” Mann alleged.
Taking a dig at the SAD’s ‘Punjab Bachao (save Punjab) Yatra’, he said its real name is “parivar bachao (save Family) yatra”.
“After looting the state for 15 years, from whom are they trying to save Punjab? Akalis have plundered the state mercilessly, bruised the psyche of Punjabis emotionally and patronised several mafias,” he alleged.
People are well aware of the “dubious character” of the Akalis and Badal family “due to which their theatrics won’t work now”, said Mann.
He accused the Akali leaders of patronising gangsters and “infusing drugs in the veins of youths by shielding the drug smugglers”.
The Akali Dal has always “misused” religion for their vested political interests but this time the people of the state will not get swayed by it, said Mann.
Targeting the Congress, Mann said, “Congress leaders are daydreaming to assume power in the state.” “The Congress party is a divided house that will collapse due to their infighting. It is a pity that top Congress leaders are squabbling for power and have no vision for the state.
“Their only aim is to plunder the wealth of Punjab by assuming power, but their dreams will never be fulfilled,” he said.
“Earlier, these traditional parties just waited for their turn to grab power, but now the broom is there to clean the mess created by these parties,” said Mann. PTI CHS RT RT
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