The chief minister said he was well aware of the problems of Punjab as he was frequently touring the state to address the woes of the people.
Published Aug 15, 2023 | 4:43 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 15, 2023 | 4:43 AM
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. (Supplied)
Accusing former governments of draining Punjab’s finances dry, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday, 14 August, that the state needed leaders and not dealers who looted it over the years.
Addressing a gathering after dedicating 76 Aam Aadmi Clinics to the people on the eve of the 77th Independence Day, the chief minister said that these leaders were least concerned about Punjab and its people, which was why they constantly ignored them.
“I am shocked and aghast to see their misdeeds. They will be held accountable and made to pay for the tears of Punjab,“ said Mann.
Launching a scathing attack on former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, the chief minister said that during his stint, the BJP leader introduced e-stamps, but at the same time ordered the printing of stamp papers worth ₹1,266 crore at a cost of ₹57 crore.
Bhagwant Mann said that this “experienced” finance minister caused a whopping loss of around ₹60 crore to the state exchequer with his faulty vision.
The chief minister also quipped that while his government had given jobs to more than 31,000 youth, besides regularising 12,710 jobs, the former finance minister acted as a stumbling block in providing employment and the development of the state.
He accused Badal of suffering from a “negative syndrome”, due to which the state lagged in progress.
The chief minister said that he was well versed in the problems of Punjab as he was frequently touring the state to mitigate the woes of the people.
He said his predecessors had not visited even in 15 years how much he had travelled in Punjab in the last 1.5 years.
Mann said these predecessors ofhis were least bothered about the people and the state, whereas his life was dedicated to the well-being of the people.
The chief minister, on the sidelines of this event, also flagged off a mobile van to provide free health checkups to the patients of the Sangrur district at their doorsteps.
He said that this mobile van had been fitted with state-of-the-art equipment to provide high-end medical facilities and tests like BP, ECG, and HIV, as well as other treatment and diagnostic facilities.
