Opponents Are Trying To Defame Me Falsely & Look For Opportunity To Loot Punjab: CM Bhagwant Singh Mann

Bathinda, September 6, 2026: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday tore into the Opposition, saying that its leaders are trying to falsely defame him and looking for an opportunity to loot Punjab once again after years of filling their own coffers. During a Lok Milni programme at Ghudda village in Bathinda, he said the Opposition is troubled because his government was spending public money for the welfare of the people. 
Taking on the BJP and Akali Dal, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said the two parties were once again moving towards an alliance, with the Akali Dal ready to join hands with the BJP on the condition of getting the three farm laws passed. He said while some leaders belonged to the “Modi quota” and others to the “Rahul Gandhi quota”, he alone belonged to the people’s quota.  The Chief Minister affirmed the people of Punjab had given a teacher’s son an opportunity in 2022 and would give him another opportunity in 2027, adding that Punjab would never forgive the BJP for the deaths of 750 farmers and that the Akali Dal had always remained at the forefront of compromising the interests of Punjab.
Addressing the gathering during the Lok Milni programme, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Opposition parties had a dubious track record of working against Punjab and its people and could never be forgiven for their actions. “The BJP has always adopted an anti-Punjab mindset and treated the state unfairly on issues concerning its rights and interests. Whether it is the issue of Panjab University, Chandigarh, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the Harike canal, Republic Day tableaux, Rural Development Funds (RDF) funds or border area funds, the BJP has always treated Punjab unfairly,” he added.
The Chief Minister pointed out, “The hands of the BJP are drenched with the blood of more than 700 farmers of Punjab who attained martyrdom while protesting against the draconian farm laws. The people of Punjab will never forget this.”
Reminding the people of the track record of the Congress, he said that it was the same party which had rolled tanks into Sri Akal Takht Sahib and killed innocent Sikhs in different parts of the country. “Despite remaining in power in Punjab, the Congress did nothing to check the drug menace that spread during its tenure. The Congress also failed to punish those responsible for beadbi incidents in the state,” he added.
“Congress has no moral right to seek the trust of Punjabis. It is the same party that used tanks against Sri Akal Takht Sahib and witnessed the killing of innocent Sikhs across the country. When Congress was in power in Punjab, drugs spread among the youth, but the party did nothing to stop this menace. Even in the beadbi cases, Congress failed to deliver justice. Punjab cannot forget this history,” said CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Coming down heavily on the Akali Dal, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that during its long rule, they committed the sin of beadbi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, shielded those responsible and allowed firing on innocent people. “The Akalis had mercilessly plundered Punjab, bruised the emotional psyche of Punjabis and patronized several mafias in the state. Every vote for the Akali Dal will be a mandate in favour of beadbi. The Akali leadership can never be forgiven for what it did to Punjab. Drugs were patronized during their rule and an entire generation of Punjab suffered because of it. They plundered the wealth of the state and damaged Punjab socially and emotionally,” he said.
The Chief Minister said, “The Akali Dal is now begging for an alliance with the BJP only because it wants to return to power. There is no ideology, no vision for Punjab and no concern for the people behind this alliance. Their only objective is to grab power. But the people of Punjab are aware of their past and will not be fooled again.”
Lashing out at Akali leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Throughout his life, Sukhbir Singh Badal has lived in a secured environment surrounded by luxury. He does not understand the ground realities of Punjab. He is a convent-educated political leader who does not even know the basic topography of the state, yet he wants to rule Punjab. Leaving everything else aside, he cannot even differentiate between the basic crops of Punjab because he has scant knowledge of the issues faced by our farmers.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Akali leaders have always remained focused on their own interests rather than the interests of Punjab and Punjabis, whereas the AAP is committed solely to the welfare and progress of the state. 
Taking a jibe at the infighting within the Congress, he said that while Congress leaders were fighting among themselves for power, the state government was working tirelessly for the well-being of the people. “The fight of the AAP is for quality education, good healthcare, employment and welfare of the people. Our fight is to improve the lives of Punjabis. On the other hand, Congress leaders are fighting among themselves for power and do not even see eye to eye with one another. They have no vision for Punjab,” he said.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Congress has no vision for Punjab. Its only dream is to assume power and plunder the wealth of the state, but this dream will never be fulfilled. Congress is a divided house and its internal fights will bring it down. It is unfortunate that even the senior leaders who come to unite their factional leaders are not aware of how to pronounce their names.”
The Chief Minister said, “I am working as the son and brother of the people of Punjab. I have focused on understanding their hardships and sharing their pain rather than living a life of luxury like my predecessors. Every rupee belonging to the people is being spent for the people. This is why the Opposition is troubled. They had filled their own coffers when they were in power, while we are using the state’s resources to improve the lives of ordinary Punjabis.”
He said that none of the earlier rulers had come among the people in such a manner to have detailed conversations about their problems and resolve them with a missionary zeal. “The previous politicians had confined themselves behind the high walls of their residences instead of meeting the people, and were now baffled by every pro-people initiative of the state government,” he added.
“I have always remained in the field and among the people. I come to them, listen to their problems and take their feedback before framing development-oriented and citizen-centric policies. Punjab cannot be governed by sitting behind the walls of big residences. The people deserve a government that listens to them and works alongside them,” said CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the people of Punjab had already witnessed the difference between governments that worked for themselves and a government that worked for the people. He said that the days when Punjab’s wealth was plundered were over and that the state was now witnessing a “storm of development”. “The days of loot in Punjab are over. Now there is only a storm of development. The people’s money is being spent on the people, and every step of our government is aimed at building a stronger, healthier, educated and prosperous Punjab,” he concluded.