Bhagwant Mann spreading anti-national sentiments in Punjab: Chugh

Jammu/Chandigarh, Nov 29: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Wednesday strongly condemned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for “inciting” anti-Punjab sentiments in the state for political reasons.
Strongly condemning the chief minister for his alleged statement in the assembly that Punjab might be omitted from the national anthem, Chugh ridiculed Bhagwant Mann, saying that the national anthem has been a national pride since independence and it was too flippant on the part of the chief minister to speak in the assembly like that.
The BJP leader demanded that the remarks made by the chief minister should be expunged from the assembly proceedings and the Speaker should issue a warning to the chief minister against using such words in the House.
Chugh said the Mann government has failed to take care of the interests of farmers in the state and it was now trying to pass the onus on the Centre. “The Centre provided adequate funds for farmers to manage the paddy stubble. It also provided guidance to the Punjab government for the purpose, but the Bhagwant Singh Mann government failed to do anything because of which farmers are back on the roads,” he said.
He said if Haryana can give MSP on 14 crops why cannot the Punjab government follow it in the State? “Bhagwant Mann is playing in the hands of disruptive forces and has been trying to spread an anti-national idiom in the state,” he added.
While strongly rebutting the CM’s observation in the House that the Centre has been discriminating against Punjab, Chugh said that under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi more than nine lakh farmers have benefited in the State. “In addition, a total of more than eight lakh Ayushman Cards have been created for the people of Punjab, while 18 lakh hospital admissions have taken place, reducing the out-of-pocket expenditure drastically in the State,” he said.
Moreover, the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway is in progress. With its construction, one can reach Amritsar from Delhi in 4 hours and Katra from Delhi in 6 hours. Presently, the distance from Delhi to Katra is 727 km, and with the construction of this route, the distance will be reduced by 58 km. This expressway will connect the major religious places of the Sikh community, the Golden Temple, Sultanpur Lodhi Gurdwara in Kapurthala district, Goindwal Sahib Gurdwara, Khadoor Sahib Gurdwara, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Taran Taran) till Mata Darbar Vaishno Devi in Katra.
Chugh said the AAP government was trying to do “malicious propaganda for cheap political reasons”.