Those seeking votes in the name of panth have never talked about Punjab in Parliament - Chief Minister
Bajwa and Jakhar have 'disappeared' from the political arena after the big defeat in the Jalandhar West by-election
BABA BAKALA: Taking a sharp aim at Shiromani Akali Dal, which claims to be pro-Punjab, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today said that this party, which seeks votes in the name of sect, has never talked about Punjab in Parliament.
Addressing a large gathering during the state level function on the occasion of Rakhar Punya, the Chief Minister said that it is a matter of great sadness that the leaders of the party enjoying power by taking votes in the name of Panth remain silent spectators on the issues of Punjab in Parliament.
Giving an example, Bhagwant Singh said that on December 26, 2018, during his tenure as a Lok Sabha member, he appealed to the then Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to pay homage to the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji on his martyrdom day.
He said that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, agreeing to his appeal, for the first time in the history of the Parliament, paid tribute to the Sahibzades who did not give in to oppression and injustice. The Chief Minister said, "I am surprised that the Akali Dal has never even submitted an application to pay respects to the Sahibzades in Parliament, while this party claims to be pantheist and pro-Punjab. What else can be expected from them about the issues of Punjab."
Attacking the BJP, which taught Punjab the lesson of law and order, the Chief Minister said that the BJP should throw its stick under its own generation before pointing a finger at anyone. He said that the BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have to impose curfew during festivals like Ram Naomi, which is a living example of the worst law and order situation there. He also reminded the BJP about the curfew in Noah area of Haryana. The Chief Minister said, "BJP people give me peace and law admonitions. I can proudly say that all religious festivals are celebrated jointly 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 worldwide for their mutual love and brotherhood.”
Taking a dig 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, the leader of the opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa and BJP state president Sunil Jakhar have received such a big blow 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 familyism in politics but only politicians who raise the voice of the common people can climb the ladder of power.
Promising to 'turn compulsion into discretion' 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 time it will be the choice of the people to educate their child from a government school or from a private school, the level of education will be equal but the only difference will be that no fee will be charged in government schools. Similarly, government hospitals will provide free treatment at par with private hospitals. The Chief Minister said that he wants to see Punjab on the heights for which he is making great efforts.
The Chief Minister said that to provide quality health 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 benefited from these clinics and 95 percent of the patients who visit these clinics every day have got rid of their diseases.
He said that 30 more such clinics are being established through which people will get better health facilities near their homes.
The Chief Minister said that in the year 2022, the facility of giving free electricity to the people was started and currently 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 electricity is being provided to farms as well.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has set a new record by providing government jobs to 44, 700 youths of the state in its tenure of just 880 days with an average of 51 youths getting government jobs every day in the last two and a half years.
He said that the entire recruitment has been done purely on the basis of merit in a transparent manner. He said that the confidence of the youth has increased in the policies and intentions of the state government, due to which they are preparing for government jobs by leaving the intention of going abroad.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has established a first of its kind dedicated road safety force across the country to save precious lives and increase safety in road accidents on state and national highways.
While sharing the statistics, he said that since its inception on February 1, this force has saved nearly 1200 more precious lives in road accidents compared to last year.
Congratulating women on the holy festival of Rakhi, the Chief Minister said that the government is taking many initiatives for more rights of women. He said that the state government has tried to implement the principle of equality and currently women officers are posted as senior police captains in six districts of the state and women deputy commissioners in eight districts. He said that for the first time girls will be recruited as fire fighters and Punjab will be the first state to take such a step.
Expressing strong objection to the funds withheld by the Centre, the Chief Minister said that Punjab does not beg from the Center but demands its rights. He said that we are GST. We collect and deposit it with the center and ask for our share from it, due to which the center does not do us any favor.
On the occasion of Rakhar Punya, the Chief Minister bowed down at the historical Gurdwara Naveen Patshahji here and prayed for the good of all. The Chief Minister said that the ninth Patshah Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji worshiped for a long time on the historical and holy land of Baba Bakala. He said that the great Sikh Gurus have inspired people to fight against oppression, injustice and tyranny, due to which Punjabis have always led the country in the fight against evils. The Chief Minister emphasized that Punjabis have an important place in the national freedom struggle as well and we are proud of their bravery and unique contribution.