From jibes at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “roaming around in Chhattisgarh jungles” at the time of the last union budget to Congress “begging” for “two or three seats” from [its INDIA bloc ally] AAP in Delhi for Lok Sabha polls and from equating former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu to a “driverless train”, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann spared none from the Opposition as he concluded the discussion on Governor’s address in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Monday.
After protesting and sloganeering that continued for around four hours, the Congress legislators, except Abohar’s Sandeep Jakhar, had walked out of Vidhan Sabha when the CM made the address. Congress MLAs walked out following heated arguments between party MLA from Adampur Sukhwinder Singh Kotli and Mann over the issue of Dalit deputy CM. Earlier, Congress legislators began protesting after they were miffed at Mann bringing a lock for Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan as a “gift” and asking the latter to lock the House from inside to prevent walkout by Congress MLAs.
Asserting that government wanted to have an “eye to eye” discussion with the opposition, Mann said he had brought the padlock “symbolically”, “in the wake of opposition’s conduct for the past two years.” He added that he had brought another padlock, which he took out from his pocket, for legislators of AAP as well in case they wanted to go out.
Listing his own track record of ensuring to remain present in Lok Sabha when he was an MP, Mann first targeted Rahul Gandhi in what had members of treasury benches burst into laughter. “He goes by the name of Rahul Gandhi. He has no post in the party. At the time of last session and when the Prime Minister have to speak..their (Congress’s) main speaker is roaming around in jungles of Chhattisgarh…Don’t know what is this kind of yatra..One should come to people..”
Mann then went back to January last year and while taking a jibe at Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, he said, “Senior Congress leaders approached me seeking security for the Bharat Jodo Yatra which was to enter Punjab from Shambhu border. I agreed saying it was their democratic right and asked how many personnel were needed and what would be the criteria. They said the criteria should be “Aam banda nere na aave Rahul ji de (Common man should not come near Rahul ji)..”
Turning to Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Mann went on, “Aam banda ki saade Raje Warring nu char vaari kadhya. Enu apni T shirt te likhna pai gaya Raja Warring.. (What to talk of common man, even our Raja Warring was thrown out four times. He had to get Raja Warring written on his T-shirt). Continuing his swipe against the Congress leadership by saying that they wear “costly shawls and pajamian (tight lowers)”, Mann then made an oblique reference to BJP national executive member and former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh as he said, “They are friends to other pajami wearers. They are the ones who would fry mutton in palace belonging to the ones living in Siswan.”
Mann said Punjab Congress was a divided house and there were “four to five” groups within “17 to 18” MLAs. Accusing Congress legislators of “making a mockery” of democracy by not listening to Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s speech Friday, Mann said, “I speak this in the House. Next time, not even 18 [of them] would make it to the Vidhan Sabha.” He added, “Congress will meet the same fate as it met in Delhi. The national party Congress, the oldest party of the country, it does not have a single MLA or MP in 2015 and 2020 in the national capital. They had gone arrogant after 15-year rule of Sheila Dikshit and then Kejriwal came with the broom and they could not revive till date.”
Mann then turned to Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar and said “worst happened to him”. Reading out an adage in Punjabi, “Moosa bhajya maut ton, maut agge khari (loosely translated as someone landing in same situation following a move to avoid that)”, Mann said Jakhar left Congress to get rid of Captain Amarinder Singh, but both again ended up in same party [BJP].” Shifting focus on Badals, Mann re-iterated his allegations against them and questioned “waiver of luxury tax, annual license fee, electricity duty, State VAT, GST for luxury seven-star hotel.”
“The very poor family is out to save Punjab these days,” Mann said, in an apparent reference to Punjab Bachao Yatra of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. He also hit out at Congress leaders for questioning his and some other AAP MLAs’ credentials for being an artist and mobile phone repair persons, questioning if any qualification or rules barred them from getting elected.
Taking a dig at leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Mann said Bajwa’s son “wants to be a hero”. “Art is a gift from God. He says he would become an actor on money power,” said Mann, adding that Bajwa’s son had been pressing him (Bajwa) for two years to make a film to launch him. He added, “From Dharmendra to Shahrukh Khan, they had to put up on footpath in Bombay. Dharam ji (Dharmendra) once told me that a big director once asked his driver to drop him at his bungalow but he never had one.”
Mann said Dharmendra got off from the car in a market, as he had no place to stay, and sent driver back saying that his bungalow was nearby and he would walk there from the market. “Dharmendra spent the night sleeping at a railway station It is not easy to become a kalakaar (artist),” Mann said. Mann then turned to Navjot Sidhu and imitating cricketer-turned-politician’s style, said, “There is another one in Congress. Oda koyee mittar pyara nahi Congress vich (He has none who is close to him in Congress). Navjot Sidhu is like a train which left Kathua without a driver. The driverless train was stopped with much difficulty after putting wooden logs on the track. He is a driverless train which does not get off the track. It will cause damage.”
He also said that Congress leaders were like “black ants”. “Kaaliyan keerian de vaang ik dooje vich vajde phirde ne. Koyee discipline nahi (Like black ants, they keep on hitting each other. There is no discipline). Mann while concluding his speech and praising own government for improvements in education and health sector, said, “Earlier, it was their majboori (compulsion) to go to private schools and hospitals. Now it will be their marji (choice) to go for government facilities.”
Villagers along rivers can sell sand Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Monday that the government will permit the sale of sand up to four feet in the farmlands where sand accumulated due to floods last year. Intervening in a discussion on flood relief compensation raised by Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Pratap Singh, CM Mann mentioned that those with farms, especially in villages around Beas and Sutlej, will be allowed to sell sand up to four feet. The CM stated that a notification to this effect will be issued shortly, providing cultivators with an opportunity to earn more from selling the accumulated sand than their crops. Mann acknowledged that while natural calamities cause damage, they also bring ‘some benefits.’ Last year’s monsoon floods in Punjab, despite causing devastation, increased the area under sand deposits two-and-a-half times, according to an IIT-Ropar study reported by The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, during discussions on the Governor’s address, Congress MLA Sandeep Jakhar emphasized the need for a roadmap to address the crisis facing the peasantry and called for a special session to discuss the agriculture policy. Akali Dal MLA Sukhwinder Sukhi alleged that tehsildars in his constituency took Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 for a registry. CM Mann asked Sukhi to provide a list, promising action if the allegations were found to be true. During zero hour, Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali demanded the Punjab government to transfer Amritpal Singh from Dibrugarh jail in Assam to a Punjab jail, denouncing the use of NSA against him as ‘brazen injustice.’ Ayali also called for the release of Bandi Singhs.