Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Friday, said leaders of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are living in “fool’s paradise” assuming they are still in power.
Addressing a gathering at Dhuri, the CM said the leadership of both the parties is yet to overcome the trauma of the crushing defeat people have inflicted on them in the Assembly elections.
Describing the Opposition politicians as “power-hungry”, the chief minister said they still behave as if they are running the government in the state ignoring the fact that the wise and brave people of Punjab have chosen a government that is serving them with zeal.
Recounting how SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal used to boast that they would rule Punjab for 25 years, he noted that they have been totally rejected by people.  Neither Badal has been able to win his Assembly seat, nor did he get any candidate to contest from his party.
Questioning the absence of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi from the political arena, the CM said the Congress leader who claimed to be capable of doing everything is seen nowhere after the debacle of his party. He fails to understand where Channi has gone. If this is the condition of a CM candidate of Congress, what could be the fate of the party is anybody’s guess, he added.
He called the Congress and the SAD as “deadwoods” of Punjab politics. People have rejected them as they have failed to stand up to the expectations of people. These parties are now indulging in cheap tactics for scoring brownie points before the media, Mann added.
The CM said people will no longer have to run pillar to post in government offices at Chandigarh and district headquarters for getting their administrative works done as the state government will ensure it at their doorsteps. A mechanism is being evolved to benefit all from the government schemes and delivered them to people at their doorsteps while saving time, money and energy.
The CM said from the day after assuming charge of office, the Aam Aadmi Party government has started the process of fulfilling each and every promise made with people to restore the pristine glory of the state.
Mann said 16 Medical colleges will be constructed in the coming five years thereby enhancing the total tally of medical colleges to 25, thus transforming Punjab into a hub of medical education. Students aspiring to pursue medical education will no longer have to go to countries like Ukraine. Earlier, governments have not paid any attention to it due to which our students had to move abroad.