Ahead of Punjab polls, CM Mann urges voters to judge parties on work, not gimmicks

Detailed summary

Bhagwant Mann used a Lok Milni in Qadian to showcase his government's welfare record and attack rivals. His pitch framed the coming Punjab election as a choice between performance and political gimmicks.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said his government had made progress in employment, education and healthcare, and urged people to assess political parties by their “actual work” rather than election-season “gimmicks”, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

With Punjab set to go to the polls early next year, Mann targeted his political rivals, saying the Congress was occupied with internal disputes while a “political understanding” between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP could harm farmers’ interests.

Addressing a gathering at a ‘Lok Milni’ programme in Qadian, Mann said opposition parties should “stop dreaming” of halting the Aam Aadmi Party government's welfare schemes. He said the Punjab government believed in resolving people's everyday problems through direct interaction rather than delivering political speeches from stages.

“We want to take this development journey further in the coming term and ensure that every section of society benefits,” Mann said. He asked people not to be influenced by electoral gimmicks, symbolic gestures or empty promises, and urged them to judge parties on their performance.

Highlighting his government's work in education, healthcare, agriculture, employment generation and public welfare, Mann said, “Earlier governments considered people merely as vote banks and believed that elections could be won by distributing money and liquor. But today's generation is politically aware and judges governments by their performance rather than hollow promises. People want accountability, development and solutions to their problems.”

He said previous governments had filled their own coffers, while the AAP government was “returning people's money” through welfare schemes and development work. According to PTI, Mann said his government had provided 71,777 government jobs “purely on merit, without corruption”.

Mann said the use of canal water in Punjab had risen from nearly 22 per cent before the AAP government came to power to around…

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