Sangrur (Punjab) [India], September 3 (ANI): BJP will come in alliance with Akali Dal if the latter accepts the condition of passing three farm laws, claimed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The Chief Minister also asserted that the BJP is using communal divisions to secure votes and said its victory in Panjab University polls, which he claimed came with Akali Dal support, exposed the nexus between the two parties.
Contrasting this politics with his government’s performance, he said Punjab was racing ahead on the development track with rapid work in schools, hospitals, electricity, water and roads.
Addressing the gathering during Lok Milni, Mann said that the Akalis had always adopted an anti-Punjab stance by joining hands with forces inimical to the interests of the state.
“Akalis are ready to join hands with the saffron party for the sake of power, despite the fact that the BJP-led government was responsible for the martyrdom of more than 700 farmers during the agitation against the draconian farm laws. This shows that the Akali leadership has no ideology left and is ready to compromise the interests of Punjab for power,” he said.
The Chief Minister warned the people that if voted to power, the SAD-BJP alliance could once again impose draconian farm laws on farmers. He said that the leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal was “on its knees” to enter into an alliance with the BJP ahead of the state Assembly polls.
“Akali-BJP alliance has no ideology and no agenda for public welfare. Its sole objective is to grab power in Punjab. The people of Punjab will not be misled by the political tantrums of these parties and will teach them a befitting lesson in the coming days,” he said.
He said, “Punjabis will send the Akalis and BJP into political oblivion because of their sins against Punjab and its people. The massive presence of people at this Lok Milni is a clear indication that Punjabis are ready to write a new story in 2027.”
Highlighting the work undertaken by his government since assuming office in 2022, Mann said that the government had focused on holistic development and introduced reforms across power, sports, education, healthcare and other key sectors.
“Today, after four-and-a-half years, I am standing before the people after fulfilling every single promise made to them and delivering all the guarantees. During the previous regimes, people lived in an atmosphere of fear and trauma, while drugs destroyed generations of Punjab’s youth,” he said.
Taking a strong dig at the opposition, the Chief Minister said that the people of Punjab would never forgive the Congress, Akalis and BJP for what he termed their anti-Punjab policies and would consign them to political oblivion in the 2027 Vidhan Sabha polls.
He said that these traditional political parties had always protected each other’s interests while in power and used to play “musical chairs”, waiting for their turn to govern. He alleged that their mutual understanding had ensured that their misdeeds remained hidden. “Now the people have elected AAP and the broom is cleansing the political system of Punjab. The day is not far when those responsible for their sins will have to face the consequences of their actions,” said CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Referring to the drug menace, he said that traditional political parties had inflicted irreparable damage on Punjab’s youth and that people knew who had allowed the drug trade to flourish. “Those who promoted and patronised the drug trade cannot be allowed to return to power. If these parties come back, they will once again misuse authority to exploit Punjab and its people,” he said.
Lashing out at Akali leader Sukhbir Badal, the CM stated that he is disconnected from the ground realities of Punjab because he had spent his life in a secure environment surrounded by luxury and opulence.
“Sukhbir Singh Badal is a convent-educated political leader who does not know the basic topography of Punjab but wants to rule the state. Leaving everything else aside, he cannot even differentiate between the basic crops of Punjab because he has little understanding of the basic issues faced by the people,” he said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the Akalis had conducted a “genocide of generations” of Punjab by promoting and patronising the drug trade.
He further added that official vehicles had been used for selling or distributing drugs and that religion had been exploited for political interests.
“Using religion for vested political interests is an unpardonable sin. The Akali leaders mercilessly plundered the wealth of Punjab during their tenure and are now dreaming of an alliance with Delhi to loot the state again. Their interests have always been about themselves, whereas AAP is committed only to Punjab and its people,” he said.
Taking a jibe at the infighting within the Congress, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that while Congress leaders were fighting among themselves for political power, the state government was working tirelessly for the welfare of the people.
“They are squabbling among themselves for power, while we are working tirelessly to make Rangla Punjab. Our fight is for quality education, good healthcare and welfare schemes for the people. Congress leaders do not even see eye to eye with each other because their only concern is power,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that Congress had no vision for Punjab and alleged that its only objective was to assume power and plunder the wealth of the state. He said that the Congress was a divided house that would collapse because of its internal fighting.
“It is a pity that senior Congress leaders who come to Punjab claiming to unite the party’s leaders are not even aware of how to pronounce their names. Their dreams of returning to power will never be fulfilled,” he said.
Mann said that the Congress and Akali Dal had acted as termites that ruined Punjab after Independence and caused the state to lag behind on the path of progress.
“These leaders never speak against each other, but they spit venom against me every day because I have exposed them before the people. Punjabis know the anti-people stance of these parties. They have never been loyal to Punjab and its people,” said CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Highlighting his government’s welfare-oriented governance, the Chief Minister said that every single penny of the state exchequer is being optimally utilised for the welfare of the people.
He said that more than 90% of households in Punjab were receiving free electricity, while farmers were getting power during the daytime.
“The tax money of the people belongs to the people. We are spending it judiciously on their welfare. People’s money is returning to the people through development, schools, hospitals and roads,” he said.
He added that the state government had provided free electricity to households, government jobs to more than 70,000 youth without corruption, improved roads, closed toll plazas resulting in savings of Rs 70 lakh per day, strengthened education and healthcare infrastructure and undertaken several other key initiatives.
He said that the government was working tirelessly for the development of villages and providing grants for this purpose. “3,100 sports stadiums were being constructed across the state to provide better sporting facilities and help wean youth away from drugs,” he added.
Talking about healthcare, CM Mann said that the state government had launched the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, under which every resident family of Punjab was entitled to cashless medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh.
“The Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country and has significantly reduced the financial burden on people while ensuring access to quality healthcare. Punjab is the first Indian state to offer such comprehensive healthcare coverage, and families have already availed free treatment under the scheme,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that under the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, women beneficiaries above 18 years of age had been receiving financial assistance from July 1.
“Every woman from Punjab is receiving ₹1,000, while SC women are receiving ₹1,500. The funds were being transferred directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts, and women already receiving social security pensions were also eligible. He said that around 97% of women in Punjab were expected to benefit from the scheme and that the state government had allocated ₹9,300 crore in the budget,” he added.
“This is a gift to the women of Punjab under the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna and is one of the biggest social revolutions being witnessed across the globe. There is hardly any parallel to such a welfare scheme, through which women are being empowered with direct financial assistance,” said Mann.
The Chief Minister said that 70.92 lakh women beneficiaries had so far received the benefit under the scheme, while 5.20 lakh beneficiaries who had registered recently were receiving ₹181.50 crore.
Emphasising the importance of education, the Chief Minister said that his government had prioritised the education sector and taken several path-breaking initiatives to transform the lives of people. “No freebie or concession card can eliminate poverty or social maladies. Education is the key that can pull people out of this vicious cycle and raise their standard of living. This is why our government is making relentless efforts to improve the quality of education and empower the common man,” he said.
He further added that Punjab had surpassed Kerala and other states in the field of education due to sustained efforts by the state government, including teacher training programmes, Schools of Eminence and other reforms.
He said that in 2021, only 80 students from government schools had cleared the NEET examination, whereas the number had increased more than 11-fold to 882 in 2026. “This is the difference between our governance and the governments of the past, which never bothered about schools and the education sector. We are investing in education because it is the strongest instrument for empowering the people of Punjab,” he said.
On agriculture and infrastructure, the Chief Minister said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, canal water had reached the fields of 1,587 villages that had never previously received canal water.
He said that 45,000 kilometres of roads were being renovated and upgraded to facilitate residents across the state. He said that the state government had spent ₹7,200 crore to ensure that canal water reached every field. “After our government assumed office, the area under canal irrigation has increased from 26% to 80%. In 2022, only 20 lakh 89 thousand acres received canal water, whereas today canal irrigation has reached 60 lakh 30 thousand acres. This is the change that our government has brought to Punjab,” said the Punjab CM. (ANI)
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