On the second day of his four-day “Shukrana Yatra”, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reached Zira and Talwandi Bhai on Thursday evening, where he launched a scathing attack on the Opposition parties while strongly defending the anti-sacrilege law recently passed by the state government.
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Addressing the gatherings, CM Mann said there was a time when those accused in sacrilege cases used to get relief easily after being declared mentally unstable, as the existing law was weak.
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He said the newly enacted law would act as a major deterrent against incidents of sacrilege in the state.
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“Now, anyone even thinking of committing sacrilege will know that the offence can lead to ten years’ imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000, and the accused will remain behind bars for life,” said Mann.
Mann alleged that certain influential political families, which ruled Punjab for years, themselves patronised incidents of sacrilege due to their “dishonest intentions”.
He claimed that the people of Punjab were happy with the formation of a strict law against sacrilege and said those leaders who earlier allowed sacrilege incidents and police firing were still holding rallies openly.
Without mincing words, Mann said such leaders deserved a social boycott. Taking a direct swipe at SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, Mann said that Sukhbir was still waiting for his “turn” to become CM of Punjab, but now his turn would only come for going to jail along with Bikram Majithia.
He further alleged that after the anti-sacrilege law was passed, Sukhbir had “fled abroad” and was allegedly calling officers and lawyers to ensure that no case was registered against him.
Targeting opposition parties over dynastic politics, Mann said parties like Congress, Akali Dal and BJP only promote family members. “Their politics revolves around ‘me, my son, nephew, brother-in-law and relatives,” he remarked.
Speaking about the response to the “Shukrana Yatra”, Mann said people were showering immense love and blessings upon him throughout the journey.
“From flowers filling my vehicle to elderly people blessing me on the roads, the affection shown by the people has removed all my fatigue,” he added.
Highlighting the achievements of the AAP government, Mann said that over 65,264 government jobs had been provided to youth in the last four years.
He said farmers were now receiving uninterrupted daytime power supply and canal water was reaching fields directly. Mann also claimed that Punjab would soon witness underground electricity infrastructure with no visible poles.
Referring to road safety measures, he said Punjab was the first state to establish a dedicated Road Safety Force, adding that road accident deaths had reduced by nearly 50 percent within a year.
He further stated that 19 toll plazas had been shut in Punjab, resulting in savings of nearly Rs 67 lakh per day for commuters. The CM also said that 90 percent of households in the state were receiving free electricity and people were benefiting immensely from Aam Aadmi Clinics. During the yatra, MLAs Naresh Kataria, Ranbir Singh Bhullar and Rajneesh Dahiya accompanied the CM