Opposition wants to settle scores rather than serve people: CM Mann

Bathinda, Oct 11 (PTI) Slamming the opposition parties for "misleading" propaganda against the state government, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday alleged the leaders of the opposition just want to attain power for their vested interests and settle their scores rather than serve the people.

Addressing a gathering after dedicating a railway overbridge here, CM Mann said the opposition leaders are eagerly waiting for returning to power in the hope of "teaching him a lesson for his several pro-people initiatives" rather than serving the state. He said these leaders have no vision for the state or its people, but they just want to attain the power for "muzzling" the voice of the common man.

Mann said these leaders "plundered" the wealth of the state for their "vested political interests due to which the people had ousted him." The CM claimed that the traditional political parties are envious of him because they are "not able to digest that the son of a common man is governing the state effectively".

He said the people of the state have "lost" their faith in the traditional political parties because of their "anti-people and anti-Punjab stance".

The CM said the government has started work to construct more than 19,000 km of link roads in the state. These link roads are the "arteries of economic growth" in the state, he said.

It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that Rs 5,000 crore is being spent on the project to make Punjab a 'power cut' free state through the complete transformation of the transmission and distribution network, said Mann.

The state government has set up 'Schools of Eminence' across the state to impart quality education to students, as a result of which 265 students from these and other government schools have qualified for the JEE mains exam, he said.

Likewise, he said that 44 students have cleared JEE Advanced and 848 students have qualified for NEET.

Mann said that 881 'Aam Aadmi Clinics' have been opened in the last three years, and this number will soon cross 1,000, and added that so far these clinics have provided free medicine to 1.75 crore people.

Mann said the railway overbridge has been built at a cost of more than Rs 56 crore.

He said this 1,130-meter-long overbridge will give a huge reprieve to the people. Before its construction, the people often faced great inconvenience due to the frequent closure of the railway crossing. PTI CHS MNK MNK