HOSIARPUR: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday alleged that the state unit of the Congress was deeply divided, with every senior leader aspiring to become chief minister instead of working for the people.He also attacked the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), accusing it of being desperate to capture power by making false promises to voters and “misusing” religion for political gains.Addressing a public gathering in Mukerian, he said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had fulfilled its promises through initiatives in education, healthcare, power and social welfare, and urged people to give the party another mandate so that “opportunist” opposition leaders, especially the Congress, do not get a chance to come to power.His remarks came amid a dissent within the Punjab Congress over the party high command’s decision to continue with Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the state unit chief.“(Amrinder Singh) Raja Warring does not get along with (Charanjit Singh) Channi, Channi does not get along with (Partap Singh) Bajwa, who does not get along with (Sukhjinder Singh) Randhawa, and Randhawa does not get along with Warring,” Mann said.“In the Congress, no leader stands with another because everyone wants to become the chief minister without bothering about the people,” he said, adding that the Congress is busy fighting for power.Taking a swipe at the Congress’ proposed state-wide bus yatra, to be flagged off by Rahul Gandhi, Mann quipped that while the leaders might begin the journey together, they would not return together because of the infighting.“Do not hand over power to these greedy leaders because they will end all the welfare schemes launched by the AAP government,” he claimed.The chief minister said Punjab’s journey towards becoming the number one state in every sector would continue with the support and trust of its people. Mann said his politics was not about holding on to power but about ensuring the progress and prosperity of the people of Punjab.Targeting the SAD, Mann said the Badal family had ruled Punjab multiple times but failed to work for the welfare of the people.“The Akali Dal wants to capture power by making false promises to the people, but the people of Punjab will not be misled by them,” he said.“The Akali leaders have lost the support of the people. They are using paid workers to show crowds at their rallies. The same crowd is seen at every Akali rally,” he said.The Akalis have “betrayed” Punjab and “misused” religion for their vested political interests, he alleged.Talking about the ‘Mawan Dhiyan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana’, the chief minister said more than 32 lakh women are receiving financial assistance under the scheme.“The beneficiaries have been receiving payments since July 1, and their phones will once again ring with payment notifications on August 1,” he said.
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