News Analysis India

Tag: Bhagwant Mann

  • Punjab polls 2022: AAP CM candidate Bhagwant Mann meets Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A day after the Aam Aadmi Party’s stupendous victory in Punjab, its chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann met Delhi chief minister and party national convener Arvind Kejriwal at his residence here on Friday.

    Mann arrived in the national capital this morning. This is Mann’s first meeting with Kejriwal after the assembly election results were declared on Thursday. AAP leader Raghav Chadha, who has been overseeing the party’s Punjab affairs, was also present in the meeting.

    The Aam Aadmi Party romped home in 92 of the 117 assembly seats. Mann won from the Dhuri seat by a huge margin of 58,206 votes. Talking to reporters in Sangrur before leaving for the national capital, Mann said he would meet Kejriwal to congratulate him on the party’s victory in Punjab elections.

    Mann has said the oath-taking ceremony will be held at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district. On the party’s resounding poll victory, Mann said, “The people defeated arrogant persons and they made the common people victorious.”

  • ‘Bhagwant Mann not serious about Dhuri constituency’: Sitting MLA and Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy

    By PTI

    DHURI: Congress candidate and sitting legislator Dalvir Singh Goldy from Punjab’s Dhuri seat has challenged the AAP’s chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann for an open debate on the issue of development works, claiming the comedian has nothing to show to the people.

    Goldy is locked in a high-stake electoral battle with Mann, who is the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) CM face and candidate from Dhuri.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded former Sangrur legislator Parkash Chand Garg from Dhuri seat.

    Dhuri is one of the assembly constituencies of the Sangrur Parliamentary seat.

    Mann is a two-time MP from Sangrur.

    With the AAP’s CM candidate Mann being nominated from Dhuri, this assembly seat has shot into limelight.

    The 40-year-old Goldy is banking upon several development projects carried out in Dhuri constituency in the last five years.

    “We have done a lot of development work in the constituency and have been serving people of this area for five years,” says Goldy who had remained active in student politics and was president of the Panjab University Campus Student’s Council in 2005-06.

    Sharing detail about several works undertaken by him in his constituency, Goldy told PTI in an interview that volleyball grounds were set up in 57 villages while 32 km-long roads were developed and re-carpeted, fire brigade at district level, mini fire brigade system at village level were set up and new sewerage system was laid.

    Asked as to how he sees Mann as an opponent from Dhuri, Goldy says, “I see him as a comedian not a serious politician.”

    “Mann is just singing paeans to the Arvind Kejriwal’s government to “fool” people during his speeches, says Goldy.

    The AAP had declared comedian-turned-politician Mann as its chief ministerial face after conducting a survey.

    “Mann has never shared any vision for Punjab,” says Goldy while pointing out that the AAP candidate never spoke about the depleting underground water table as Dhuri falls in the dark zone.

    “Mann has been never heard speaking about sports, education and health system,” says the Congress candidate.

    “I do not find him sincere about Dhuri constituency,” says Goldy and added that, “If he is so sincere, then he should first resign as an MP and then fight polls from Dhuri”.

    Had he done something for the people of the state, he would not have needed to show the Delhi model to the people of Punjab, says Goldy.

    Noting that Mann was never seen in Dhuri except during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Goldy says being an MP he could have done something for the people of Dhuri.

    Goldy asked Mann to hold an open debate with him to give an account of any development work which he carried out for Dhuri constituency.

    “I challenge him to hold an open debate with me. He should tell his best five development works and I will also share my five best development activities,” says Goldy.

    The Congress candidate is running a ‘Dhuri Meri Mitti, Dhuri Mera Parivar’ (Dhuri my land, Dhuri my family) poll campaign in his constituency and going door-to-door for canvassing.

    He says he belongs to Dhuri while the AAP and SAD candidates are “outsiders.”

    Goldy was elected MLA in 2017 after he defeated the AAP candidate Jasvir Singh by a margin of 2,811 votes.

    Dhuri is primarily a rural segment comprising 74 villages.

    It has 1.63 lakh voters including 77,000 women.

  • Making Bhagwant Mann CM face reflects AAP’s ‘bankruptcy’, says Sukhbir Badal

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said making Bhagwant Mann as the chief ministerial face reflected the “complete bankruptcy” of the Aam Aadmi Party.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader also called Mann as a “dummy face”, alleging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would be the “real face” of the AAP in the state.

    Badal was reacting to the announcement of AAP declaring Mann as the chief ministerial face for the February 20 Assembly polls.

    Earlier in the day, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had announced the results of the party’s “Janta Chunegi Apna CM” drive, in which it had asked the people of Punjab who should be its choice for the top post.

    On the other hand, Punjab Minister and Congress leader Raj Kumar Verma dubbed the AAP’s exercise to pick up its CM face as farce, saying people of Punjab won’t be befooled with this as they have already made up their mind to bring back the Congress to power.

    Badal, meanwhile, said the AAP has fallen back on “compromised” candidate Bhagwant Mann as no one was ready to lead the party in Punjab.

    Terming the nomination of Mann as “a stage managed non-event”, the SAD president said Kejriwal never wanted to make him the face of the party in Punjab.

    “He has been saying so at Mann’s face while asserting that the party was looking for a capable candidate. It is also a fact that AAP sounded off a number of prospective candidates but each and every one of them refused to lead the party. This is why the responsibility has been thrust on Bhagwant after a make believe survey,” said Badal in a statement here.

    He said making Mann the face of the party reflected the “complete bankruptcy” of the AAP.

    Badal said, “A desperate public relation exercise is underway to wash away Mann’s omissions and commissions and project him as a leader who can take on the mantle of chief minister even though his wayward and irresponsible conduct is well known to each and everyone.”

    Badal said Kejriwal cannot take Punjabis to be so “naive” as to approve his “rubber stamped” candidate.

    “They need strong and decisive leadership as well as a leader with a proven track record of conducting swift development as well as ensuring law and order and peace and communal harmony in this border state. Bhagwant Mann does not fit this bill,” said Badal.

    Later, Badal said in a tweet, “AAP’s newly nominated CM face @BhagwantMann is a dummy. AAP is running its campaign on ‘ek mauka Kejriwal nu’. Will it now uproot boards put up across Pb, changing it to ‘ek mauka Bhagwant Mann nu’? Obviously not. @ArvindKejriwal continues to be the real face of AAP in Punjab.”

    Meanwhile, BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh slammed AAP for choosing Mann and recalled how the AAP Punjab unit chief was castigated in the Lok Sabha for his “inebriated” behaviour and how some of the Lok Sabha members had complained against him.

    “But AAP does not care for it all and by engineering so-called people’s vote through social media has paved the way for a tarnished leader to become the chief minister face,” Chugh said.

    It has sent serious signals to Punjab as to how AAP would be governing if at all it comes to power, he said in the statement.

  • Won’t have pre or post poll tie-ups: Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann

    By Express News Service

    The Aam Aadmi Party wants to replicate the ‘Delhi Model’ in Punjab and after the transformative ‘Punjab Model,’ it will be presented before the country, Punjab AAP chief, who is also a Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann tells Harpreet Bajwa in an interview. Here are excerpts:

    There was a buzz AAP would tie up with the new party floated by farmer unions. Why didn’t it happen? Will you have post-poll ties with others?We are not having any pre-poll or post-poll alliance with any party or group. 

    AAP in Punjab means Bhagwant Mann. However, the party has not announced you as a CM candidate. Will it not affect party’s prospects?The public loves me. I am a loyal and disciplined solider of the party. Nor do I have big dreams. The public of Sangrur (his Lok Sabha constituency) made me an MP for a second term. The name of the CM face will be decided by the party’s decision-making body. It is up to the party as to how much they trust me.

    Political leaders come and go but the intentionand ideology should not change. Look atCongress, it is a circusA perception persists that AAP is remote-controlled by its Delhi leadership. Why should voters give AAP a chance in Punjab?We are not remote-controlled from Delhi. I am the Punjab president of the party and I take all decisions. Yes, we discuss things with our national convener in Delhi. 

    AAP has had to face infighting and desertions, some MLAs left due to denial of ticket. Your comment?Our party is of common people and the MLAs who left us have not got party ticket from other parties. Political leaders come and go but the intention and ideology should not change. Look at Congress — it is a circus. We respect our volunteers. There are differences, but there can be differences of opinion in any party.

    In case your party comes to power in Punjab, how would you like to see Punjab?? If we come to power, we want our ‘Rangla Punjab’ — which the state was known for its gidha and bhangra, for producing generals of the army and of kabaddi players. We want to make Punjab a true Punjab, not California, London or Paris.

    What are the key election issues in Punjab? Drug abuse, sacrilege, corruption, unemployment and price rise are our main issues. Besides, we want to stop the brain drain as a growing number of our youth is going abroad. We will create job opportunities for them back here. 

    Your party says ‘Delhi Model’ will be implemented in Punjab. Will it be successful? The Delhi Model will be implemented here and will be very successful. In Delhi we continue to face problems as files are stopped by the Lt Governor on one pretext or the other. Punjab is a full state, we will make this a Punjab model and present it before the country. Do you think the lapse in PM Modi’s security will be an election issue in Punjab?No, I do not think so. In Delhi polls, the BJP talked about hate politics. Only Arvind Kejriwal told the people a month before the polls that if the public liked the work he did for Delhi, vote for him otherwise do not. You need guts to say this.

  • Deal between Charanjit Singh Channi, Badal family to save Majithia: Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday alleged that there was a “deal” between Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the Badal family for saving Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia who has been booked in a drugs case.

    The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday had granted him anticipatory bail in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act filed against him.

    He was directed to join the police investigation on Wednesday.

    The former Punjab minister had been asked not to leave the country till the next date of hearing.

    Aam Aadmi Party leader Mann alleged that a “weak” case was registered against Majithia.

    “There was a deal between Channi and the Badal family even before the FIR that Congress government would file a weak case against Majithia and no concrete action would be taken. That’s why the Congress government did not arrest Majithia even after FIR or the rejection of his anticipatory bail from the Mohali court,” Mann alleged in a statement here.

    Majithia was booked on December 20 last year under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on the basis of a 2018 report of a probe into the drug racket in the state.

    The report was filed by anti-drugs special task force (STF) chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2018.

    Mann said that legal action against Majithia in the drug case met the same fate as Transport minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s action against buses of the Badal family, “because the Congress leaders did not take legal actions to punish the mafia”.

    “As a result today Badal’s buses are on roads and Majithia will roam free as it is.”

    Mann said if the AAP is voted to power, it will reopen these files and case to take exemplary action against every mafia and corrupt leaders.

    Mann said the people of Punjab would elect the Aam Aadmi Party government.

    “The Aam Aadmi Party already has a roadmap ready for the development of Punjab. A roadmap for the development of the farming sector, industries, education, medical treatment and eliminating unemployment and poverty is ready. The AAP is a secular party and we’ll establish brotherhood and positive politics in the state,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said his party did not publish any pamphlet which stated that the people of Punjab should take money from any political party or leader and vote for the AAP.

    Chadha said the AAP is an honest party and the people of Punjab know that.

    “Our party does not give out money, gifts or liquor to lure voters.”

    Such pamphlets had surfaced in Patiala district two days ago.

    Meanwhile, Congress leader from Ludhiana Gurpreet Singh Gogi joined the AAP here.

  • Punjab elections 2022: AAP, Akali Dal ready themselves to end Congress ‘misgovernance’

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: Slamming the ruling Congress for ‘misgovernance’ both Aam Aadmi Party and Shiromani Akali Dal claimed they will independently form the next government in Punjab. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi claimed he worked days and night to best of his abilities.

    AAP Punjab president and Parliament member Bhagwant Mann, while welcoming the Election Commission’s announcement of poll dates, claimed that his party was amply prepared for the contest. Mann appealed to the people of Punjab to “write down their destiny with their own hands on February 14 to put Punjab on the track of prosperity, peace and harmony again”.

    Mann said voters of the state should cast their votes to “get rid of those who have been looting Punjab for their vested interests”. He claimed the people of Punjab have made up their mind to form the AAP government.

    “This is evident from the fact that the people are reaching out in large numbers with their own resources and are generously supporting Kejriwal’s guarantees in the events being held by the party candidates. The results on March 10 will announce the victory of the people of Punjab,” he said.

    Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal hailed the announcement of  Assembly polls and said the people of the state will immediately heave a big sigh of relief. 

    “This signals the end of anarchy, chaos, confusion and misgovernance in Punjab. The present rulers have reduced governance to a circus joke. People will heave a sigh of relief that it is over and the state will go back to the serious business of governance by the SAD- BSP alliance,” he said.

    Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said his party would conduct the campaign as per the instructions of the Election Commission. “I have been the CM for 111 days I thank the people of Punjab and Congress. I worked to best of my abilities,” he said.

    When asked whether he will be the CM face of the Congress, Channi said this decision would be taken by the party high command. “Whatever feedback the public gives the party, a decision will be taken accordingly,” he said.

    Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said his party is fully prepared to contest the elections in the state. Sharma said that the days of “mafia rule” will soon be over and CM Charanjit Singh Channi, along with Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, will be “routed”.

  • ‘Victory for farmers’: Punjab CM, AAP react to PM’s announcement

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of repealing the three farm laws was “a victory of the longest peaceful struggle” of farmers.

    Modi on Friday announced that the government has decided to repeal the three farm laws, which were at the centre of protests by farmers for the past year.

    Channi said in a tweet, “Decision to repeal 3 black farm laws is victory of longest peaceful people’s struggle that was started by farmers in Punjab. My salute to the Annadata.”

    Addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, the prime minister said the three laws were for the benefit of farmers but “we couldn’t convince a section of farmers despite best efforts”.

    Hundreds of farmers have been camping at the three Delhi borders since November 2020 with the demand that the government repeal the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    They have also been demanding a new law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

    The Centre, which held 11 rounds of formal dialogue with farmers, had maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while protesters claim they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the legislations.

    Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann on Friday termed the government’s announcement to repeal farm laws as a victory of the farmers’ struggle, saying it is better late than never.

    The Sangrur MP said the government should have withdrawn these three farm laws much earlier, adding that “around 700 farmers lost their lives during the farmers’ agitation”.

    “It is a victory of farmers’ struggle,” said Mann.

    “We have been saying from day one that sometimes the governments frame wrong laws,” Mann told PTI.

    When farmers had been saying that these laws were not acceptable to them then what was the harm in withdrawing them, he said.

    “‘Der aaye durust aaye’ (better late than never),” said Mann on the governmnet’s announcement.

    Mann said those people who called farmers terrorists, separatists etc. should seek apology now.

  • Punjab polls: Only sitting MLAs in AAP’s first candidate list

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Friday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly election in the state. All the ten contestants in the list are sitting MLAs and have been allotted the same seats which they are currently representing.

    The party had won 20 seats in the last Assembly polls but its strength in the House has almost halved in the last five years.

    While five MLAs joined the Congress, two sitting legislators are unlikely to be given party tickets. Moreover, another MLA was disqualified and yet another one had quit politics for good.

    As per the list released by Punjab AAP president Bhagwant Mann and Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh, the leader of opposition and AAP legislature party leader, Harpal Singh Cheema has been fielded again from Dirba, whereas his deputy Saravjit Kaur Manuke will contest from Jagraon.

    Other candidates are Aman Arora from Sunam, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, Manjeet Bilaspur from Nihal Singh Wala, Jai Kishan Rori from Garhshankar, Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo, Budhram from Budhlada and Kulwant Pandori from Mehal Kalan.

    Two sitting MLAs — Kanwar Sandhu and Amarjeet Singh Sandoa — were not included in the list as Kanwar had been suspended from the party while Sandoa joined the Congress and later returned to the AAP. 

    On Thursday Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal, MLA from Raikot (reserved), openly endorsed CM Charanjit Singh Channi in the Assembly.  

    Though Hissowal later said he won’t join the Congress but his action has left the AAP leadership red-faced. His name is also not in the list. 

    The party released the list after its sitting MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby joined the Congress on Wednesday. 

  • Pressure within AAP to declare Bhagwant Mann as CM candidate in Punjab

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  Almost two months after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the party’s chief minister face in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections would be from the Sikh community and a resident of the state, pressure is mounting on the leadership to declare party’s state chief Bhagwant Mann as the CM candidate.

    Even though the party hasn’t announced any names so far, supporters of Mann, currently the MP from Sangrur, have started putting pressure on the leadership that he be announced as the CM face. In the past, names of a few prominent persons have been heard as the party’s probable chief minister face. However, these personalities refused to jump into the political arena. 

    Supporters of Mann have started a series of meetings to garner support for him. His loyalists in three assembly constituencies in Barnala district had recently held a meeting and declared that if Mann was not made the party’s CM candidate, they would have no option but to sit at their houses and abstain from campaigning for the party.  But this meeting was not attended by party MLAs Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Kulwant Singh Pandori, whose constituencies also fall in the same district besides some other senior leaders.   

    Sources said that in the absence of a CM face, the party may face serious setbacks like in the last assembly elections when it did not declare a CM candidate. “The party should declare the CM face as soon as possible. This will help avoid the tough situation of facing the people’s question who is our CM candidate. In last month’s meeting with Kejriwal, party MLAs suggested the party should announce the CM face at the earliest,” said a party leader on condition of anonymity.

    Another leader said, “The volunteers of the party for last few days have been gathering outside the house of Mann in Sangrur and demanding he be made the party’s CM face.” Last month a meeting was held in the national capital to take feedback of the party legislators fro  Punjab. Thirteen MLAs participated in the meeting and they were of the view that even though the party had faced the last elections without a CM face and it worked against it, they managed to win 18 seats and became the principal opposition. Hence, they were keen to name one this time.

    100 NAMES FOR UP TO BE ANNOUNCED Ayodhya: Sabhajit Singh, state president of the AAP, said the list of 100 candidates for next year’s assembly polls in UP will be released within the next 15 days and the party will contest on all 403 assembly seats of and not enter into an alliance with any outfit. On speculation of an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, Singh said, “The Aam Aadmi Party will contest on all 403 seats alone.”

  • Electricity Amendment Bill will eventually take away rights of states: AAP’s Bhagwant Mann

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The AAP’s Punjab president and MP Bhagwant Mann on Thursday alleged that the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2021, set to be introduced in Parliament, will take away the rights of the state governments which is dangerous for India’s federal structure.

    The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 seeks to de-license power distribution to reduce entry barriers for private players for creating competition in the segment, which would ultimately enable consumers to choose from multiple service providers.

    At a press conference, Mann alleged that if this Bill is passed in Parliament, electricity will no longer be a right of the states and subsidy to farmers will end.

    “The Union government is now snatching electricity rights from states and subsidy to farmers will end. It is looting the rights of states which is dangerous for India’s federal structure. The (Narendra) Modi government is conspiring to make farming ultra-expensive so that farmers surrender their lands to capitalists,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP alleged.

    He accused the BJP government of being insensitive towards the farmers.

    “After the three black farm laws, the Modi government is now adding to the injury of the farmers by introducing the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2021 which will eventually take away the rights of the state”, Mann claimed.

    AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Sunday had said his party will oppose the Bill in Parliament, alleging that it has been brought to benefit a few private companies.