MOGA-Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday announced that his government will lay another 7, 000 kilometres of pipelines by the end of this year to ensure canal water reaches every farm across Punjab. Highlighting that 14, 000 kilometres of pipelines, equivalent to the distance from Canada to Moga, have already been laid over the last four years, he said the government is also creating water recharge points to raise the groundwater level. During a Lok Milni programme in Bhallur, Moga, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said his government has ensured canal water reaches nearly 80% of agricultural land while previous governments neglected farmers.
The Chief Minister also asserted that parties rejected by the people in the 2022 Assembly elections have united against him because they cannot match his government’s work, adding that the people of Punjab will never allow those who looted the state during their rule to return to power.
Addressing a sea of people during the Lok Milni, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Punjab Government has laid 14, 000 kilometres of pipes and watercourses across the state to facilitate the farmers of Punjab in every nook and corner. So far, 21, 000 cusecs of water has been released in these pipelines and watercourses to benefit the farmers in a big way by catering to their irrigation needs. Recharge points have been kept in the canals and rivers so that the water level is enhanced, and the water level has increased by two to four metres.”
Launching a scathing attack on the Akalis over irrigation and sacrilege, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Akalis, especially the Badals, never knew what canal water meant for a common farmer as watercourses ended in their fields only. They were never sincere in making such a law when they were in power. The truth is that their intentions were flawed. The Akalis allowed sacrilege incidents to take place for their political gains. The Akali Dal has been reduced to the party of sisters-in-law as one sister-in-law is an MP and the other is an MLA in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.”
Taking a jibe at Sukhbir Badal, He said, “Sukhbir Badal is still in trauma due to the debacle in 2022 and is living in a fool’s paradise, which is reflected in his statements. The former Deputy Chief Minister has recently said that he has directed all his MLAs not to attend the Vidhan Sabha, forgetting that there is only one MLA left of the Akali Dal, who is also his relative. The Akalis, Congress and BJP know that they cannot compete with me politically, so they have ganged up to defame me on religious issues through fake videos.”
He further added, “The Akali leaders mercilessly looted the state and committed numerous and unpardonable atrocities on the common man during their long and tyrannical rule. The Akalis bruised the psyche of Punjabis emotionally and patronised several mafias in the state to ruin Punjab. The Akali leadership can never be forgiven as it was responsible for the genocide of several generations of the state because the drug trade was patronised by them and bloomed during their long era of misrule. The Akalis used their official vehicles to supply ‘Chitta’ drugs across the state and laid pyres of our youth.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated, “The traditional political parties continuously try to defame me through one accusation or another. Now the SGPC (Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee) has ordered to put up posters outside gurdwaras calling for my boycott. However, why were such posters not put up against the Akali Dal or Sukhbir Badal when they admitted responsibility for incidents of sacrilege? On December 2, before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, they acknowledged their mistakes, admitted wrongdoing, accepted responsibility for the firing incidents and admitted that orders were given against the sangat. Did anyone put up posters outside gurdwaras calling for their boycott?”
Referring to the public response he receives across Punjab, He affirmed, “The sangat is wise and the people are supreme. These individuals are acting out of arrogance because they have no real issue left to raise against me. Whenever I visit villages, community gatherings and public meetings, huge crowds gather. The opposition cannot tolerate these crowds because they themselves cannot attract such public support. Baffled over this, the traditional parties are stooping too low by levelling baseless allegations against me, which will not be tolerated by the people.”
Taking potshots at Congress party to task, the Chief Minister said, “The Congress party is on its deathbed and will be finished very soon as it has no vision for the people and the state. Their only aim is to plunder the wealth of Punjab by assuming power, but their dreams will never get fulfilled. The Congress party is a divided house that will collapse due to its infighting. It is a pity that the top Congress leaders who come to unite these leaders squabbling for power are not even aware of how to pronounce their names.”