Aam Aadmi Party’s Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday took a dig at BJP leader Arun Jaitley, saying that it was ironical that the latter had got the portfolio of defence minister despite losing to a retired ‘ fauji’ (Capt Amarinder Singh) in the Lok Sabha polls.
Mann , who was here to address members of the Punjab and Haryana Court Bar association, in his satirical style quipped, “Iss BJP nu v ekho, Jaitley nu defence minister banaya hai, jo ke ik retired fauji taun haariya hai.”
The comedian-turned-politician said Jaitley had dared AAP candidates that if they wanted to raise issues, they should first win the elections and speak in Parliament. “Hunn vekho, challenge karan wale khud hi haar gaaye ne (Those who challenged us have themselves lost).”
“Sansad vich Jaitley nu nahin bolan dewange kyunki Jaitley aap election har gaye ne (We won’t let Jaitley speak in Parliament since he lost in the elections),” he added.
Mann had won by the highest margin (more than 2 lakh votes) in Punjab, defeating ruling Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla.
Mann said it was a joke with the public mandate that politicians who lost in the Lok Sabha elections were made ministers.
{{/usCountry}}Mann said it was a joke with the public mandate that politicians who lost in the Lok Sabha elections were made ministers.
{{/usCountry}}He suggested that there should be a provision to disallow defeated candidates from being nominated to the Rajya Sabha for the next five years.
Targeting the Akali -BJ P government, Mann said it was an irony that while drugs were easily available in Punjab, one was forced to buy sand, a necessary item for construction, on the black market.
He also said that he would take the parliamentarian’s oath in his mother tongue Punjabi and by wearing a saffron turban.
Dedicating his win to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, he said just as the martyr had drawn everybody’s attention towards public issues by throwing a bomb in the assembly, he would bombard Parliament through his speeches to raise issues of public interest.