Punjab govt’s focus on growth, others neglected Punjab, says CM

Lays foundation stone for renovation of 237 rural link roads worth ₹168.44 crore, covering nearly 497 km, in Qadian of Gurdaspur, says rural infrastructure being strengthened

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that Punjab is witnessing a decisive shift from decades of political exploitation to an era of development, education reform and welfare-driven governance, asserting that the people of the state would once again pick the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He accused the previous governments of Congress and the former Akali Dal-BJP alliance of neglecting public welfare.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann addressing a gathering in Qadian of Gurdaspur on Monday.

Addressing a gathering in Qadian in the border district of Gurdaspur after laying the foundation stone for the renovation of 237 rural link roads worth ₹168.44 crore covering nearly 497 km, the chief minister said the state government was strengthening rural infrastructure, creating jobs and transforming government schools while exposing how earlier regimes prioritised commissions and power politics over the needs of ordinary people.

The CM said, “While previous governments shut down government schools and neglected border regions, the current government is building new modern schools, sending teachers abroad for training, attracting ₹1.50 lakh crore investment proposals expected to generate 5.20 lakh jobs, and expanding development to every corner of Punjab, including the decision to make Kahnuwan a sub-division to bring all key public offices under one roof.”

“Traditional parties have long misled the people only to satisfy their hunger for power while looting Punjab’s wealth and neglecting the interests of the common man,” he said.

Referring to the Congress, Bhagwant Mann said every Congress leader wanted to become the chief minister. Coming down heavily on the Akali leadership, he said, “Those who can’t even find 11 members to constitute a committee in their own party are dreaming of winning 117 seats in Punjab.”

Referring to claims made by Sukhbir Badal regarding development, the CM said that these leaders conveniently ignore sacrilege incidents that occurred during their tenure.

“Earlier, the other parties played friendly matches by enjoying power on a rotation basis, protecting each other’s interests while looting the state,” he said.

During the event, the CM also announced several development initiatives for the region. He said Kahnuwan would be made a sub-division. “A state-of-the-art stadium will be constructed, and the defunct ITI will be made operational again. The sewerage projects in Qadian and Dhaliwal will be completed in a time-bound manner,” he added.