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In ‘jonga’ dig at Congress over flood response, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's Pak jibe at Rahul Gandhi
Bhagwant Mann asked the Congress leaders to bring the three people they saved from the floods in the vehicle.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann criticised the Congress and its leaders for their “photo op” during the floods in the state, saying they couldn't be found after that.
Speaking in the Vidhan Sabha, Mann alleged that Congress leaders, led by the leader of the opposition, Pratap Singh Bajwa, created a photo opportunity in a giant amphibious vehicle with a capacity of 12, but nine of them were already sitting in it.
“They created a ‘jonga’ (originally a brand name, now used for any giant vehicle). After that, they thought it was a good opportunity for a photoshoot. It had a capacity to hold 12 people, and they took nine from here. Three seats were left; they could save only three people. Then they quarrelled about the photo, saying ‘we got a great opportunity for a photo op and then to abuse Bhagwat Mann in the evening’,” Mann, a former comedian, told the House, tongue in cheek.
Mann asked the Congress leaders to bring the three people they saved from the floods in the vehicle.
“They went in a little bit of water and then said 'let's go, the photo op is done'. Neither the ‘jonga’ nor they could be found after that. This is not how people are saved from the floods. For that, one has to get into the water,” he said.
Mann said that many of his ministers and MLAs “damaged their feet” in the floodwaters. He also pointed out that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was given proper Z-category security, but he was adamant that he wanted to go to the villages across the Ravi, just “800 metres from Pakistan.”
“What would have happened if he mistakenly crossed those 800 metres? Then you would have said Mann sent our Rahul Gandhi to Pakistan,” the CM added.
The all-terrain vehicle
Bhagwant Mann was talking about Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa’s trip to Jalandhar’s Sultanpur Lodhi, where he rode a JSW all-terrain vehicle in late August.
During his trip, Bajwa had accused the AAP government of making tall claims with no ground impact.
“AAP boasted about spending ₹230 crore on flood prevention, desilting 4,766 km of waterways, constructing over 1,000 check dams, planting bamboo saplings and storing sandbags. But when it started flooding, all measures collapsed like a house of cards. There’s no protection, preparedness and relief for flood-hit victims,” The Tribune had quoted him as saying at the time.
What's a ‘jonga’?
Originally, Jonga was the brand name for the Nissan Patrol SUV's Indian version used by army. Jonga was an acronym for Jabalpur Ordnance and Guncarriage Assembly. The Indian Army government had a licence from Nissan to build their own versions.
It entered service in 1969, and production ended in 1999, with some of tehse vehicles serving for some years after that too. Auctions of decommissioned Jongas meant some entered civilian use. Given their massive size and string built, the word is now used to denote large vehicles in general, mostly in jest.
