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Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann accuses Oppn of ‘arrogance’, ‘misrule’
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann positioned the AAP as a party driven by service, not power. He cited AAP’s developmental work across Punjab, including improvements in education, healthcare, competitive exam coaching centers, and industrial growth, as evidence of the party’s governance model.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday flayed the opposition, calling the upcoming Ludhiana West bypoll a clear choice between “pyaar” (love) and “ahankar” (arrogance).
Campaigning for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora in Jawahar Nagar and Sarabha Nagar of Ludhiana, Mann took aim at Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu by giving a reference of a viral video in which Ashu is allegedly seen abusing a female school principal. “Is this why you became a leader — to hurl abuses?” Mann asked, condemning what he described as a pattern of disrespect and misconduct among opposition leaders.
Mann positioned the AAP as a party driven by service, not power. “We seek votes through love, not arrogance,” he said. He urged voters to select the AAP, which will appear at the top of the ballot, and to ensure the party is at the top when results are declared as well.
The CM cited AAP’s developmental work across Punjab, including improvements in education, healthcare, competitive exam coaching centers, and industrial growth, as evidence of the party’s governance model. Referring to the Jalandhar West byelection, where AAP candidate Mohinder Bhagat won by over 37,000 votes, Mann expressed confidence in a stronger mandate for Sanjeev Arora in Ludhiana West. “This time, we will win by 47,000 votes,” he declared.
Mann also reiterated his commitment to deliver on promises. “During the Jalandhar West by-election, I said Bhagat would bring your demands in writing to me, and I fulfilled those promises. Sanjeev Arora will now do the same for Ludhiana West,” he said.
Criticising previous governments, Mann accused leaders from the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of widespread corruption and facilitating Punjab’s drug crisis. “They distributed drugs door to door, ruining our youth. We’ve launched a war against drugs, and with your support, we will win it,” he said.
Addressing allegations about his own leadership, Mann pointed to his personal financial disclosures. “My property has decreased with every election — from 2012 to 2022. But look at Akali and Congress leaders, their wealth increases every day,” he claimed, suggesting that previous governments enriched themselves through business deals and scams.
Mann concluded by asserting that the political change in Punjab represents a shift of power from elites to ordinary citizens. “Their frustration is not with me, it’s with the fact that common people are now in power, where earlier only their children ruled,” he said.
