CM braves fever, cold weather to attend sangat darshans

With the biting cold keeping most of the people indoors, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, 88, continue to hold his sangat darshan programmes as per the schedule.

With the biting cold keeping most of the people indoors, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, 88, continue to hold his sangat darshan programmes as per the schedule.

Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal listening the grievances at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar on Friday. (HT Photo)

India’s oldest serving chief minister, Badal was at this village in Nawanshahr district on Friday at 9am sharp to give audience to the public on one of the coldest days of the season. The chief minister had fever and turned up at the venue against the advice of the doctor.

He started interacting with the public even as members of various panchayats were still to turn up.

Though the local administration had arranged four electric heaters, but Badal asked the officials to take them away, saying “mix of cold and hot” may hit his health.

The CM ended his programmes at 6pm at Behloor village. The only 30-minute break during the day was for the lunch at Wazirpur village at the house SAD district president Ram Singh.

With SAD-BJP government already hard-pressed to salvage its image hit by a series of incidents in the recent months, the CM was seen doing his best to clear the air and change the public perception.

At Wazirpur village when he saw a large number of people at the entrance of the grain market, he instructed the security personnel not to stop anyone from meeting him and later gave them a patient hearing.

“Nothing can deter me from holding sangat darshans as I find it appropriate to listen to the public at their doorsteps. Today, I had fever (102°F) and the doctor advised me against going out in the open. But my commitment is with you. I will live and die before you,” said the CM in his speech at Kahlon village.

On Saturday, too, the CM will spend entire day in Nawanshahr assembly segment.