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Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann targets Badals over civic neglect, drugs in their home district
The rally followed the foundation-laying of a ₹138-crore sewage and drinking water supply project, financially supported by the Centre under the AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership of misleading its supporters and mocking religious institutions during a political rally in Muktsar, the home district of the Badal family.
The rally followed the foundation-laying of a ₹138-crore sewage and drinking water supply project, financially supported by the Centre under the AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme. The project aims to upgrade the town’s old sewerage and water pipelines, extend services to newly developed areas, and benefit nearly 31,000 households. Mann directed officials to complete the work in a time-bound manner.
Criticising the Badal family, Mann said: “Muktsar, which holds high religious significance for Sikhs, has been deprived of basic amenities for decades. The Badal leadership never prioritised solving the lack of sufficient sewage and drinking water supply.”
The CM also targeted SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleging that he publicly admitted wrongdoings before the Akal Takht only to end long-standing political disputes. “Such behaviour amounts to betrayal and mocking the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. History will not forgive backstabbing Punjab and Punjabis for vested political interests,” Mann said.
Responding to Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s claim that people were familiar with “chitta” (heroin) during the Akali-BJP regime, Mann accused leaders like Bikram Singh Majithia of actively patronising the drug trade. “Words like ‘chitta’ and ‘Majithia’ were synonymous during the Akali regime. Narcotics were transported using government vehicles,” he claimed.
Mann also accused Majithia of profiteering through solar power deals, selling electricity to the government at ₹15 per unit while cheaper electricity was available at ₹2.50 per unit, causing huge losses to the state exchequer. “My government is working to scrap such anti-people contracts,” Mann said.
Addressing social media potshots about police personnel assigned to guard his shoes during a visit to Darbar Sahib in Muktsar, Mann said, “Do these political opponents have any roadmap for Punjab? Our slippers and shoes have become an issue for them. Even the dresses of our mothers and sisters have become an issue. These are the matters they are left with now.”
Separately, a group of lawyers in Muktsar protested near Government College against the registration of an FIR against advocate Harmandeep Singh Sandhu. Wearing black ribbons, they attempted to enter the rally premises but were stopped by police. Muktsar ADC Gurpreet Singh Thind intervened to pacify the agitators. Sandhu was booked in a cross-case related to a land dispute at Jawahrewala village.
