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Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attacked the Badals on Saturday over past incidents of desecration and vowed to deliver justice, asking what was the government’s role if it could not provide justice to “our holy Guru Granth Sahib even in Punjab”.
“They got the holy pages of the Guru Granth Sahib scattered on the streets… When we were not in power, I said better late than never… I said if we get the power to take decisions, we will get justice done in the case. If we cannot get justice in our own Punjab, then what is the government’s role in good governance?” the AAP leader said at Patewela in Fazilka district, where he laid the foundation stone for a Rs 578.28-crore project to clean up the water in the channel.
Mann said former chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is not telling the truth about the Kotkapura firing case in which he is an accused along with former DGP Sumed Singh Saini.
“The charge was filed in court on Friday. Now, if anyone interviews Sukhbir Singh Badal, he starts picking on himself for not telling the truth. He knows what will happen now. Earlier they (US-BJP) had a fixed match with the Congress. They never knew that a third party could come to power,” he said.
Mann said he was telling Parkash Singh Badal that he would face the consequences of “whatever he did with Shiromani Akali Dal out of his blind love for his son” Sukhbir.
Pointing to Lambi MLA Gurmeet Singh Kudian and Jalalabad MLA Goldie Kamboj, who defeated senior Badal and Sukhbir respectively, the chief minister said, “This is the power of the public… This time all the tough teshas been shown the door from the masses.”
The chief minister, however, said he did not believe in political vendetta and that his government would bring to book those who “looted the masses, whether from the opposition or our own ranks”.
“We collect enough documents and evidence against a person before filing a corruption case or any other case,” he said. Without naming AAP MLA Amit Ratan, who was arrested recently, the chief minister said, “You did not vote and elected 92 of us. Therefore, it is our duty to maintain your trust. The broom (AAP symbol) is intended for cleaning. If there is some dirt in the house, it should also be cleaned. If any of us is wrong somewhere, correct us and guide us. If there is a problem.. the solution is also inside”.
Speaking about the water purification project, Mann said, “Today our groundwater and river water and even canal water are becoming unfit for drinking and agriculture. So, we will install a 68 million liters per day (MLD) plant that will purify water from the canal that passes through this area.”
The project will provide purified water to 122 surrounding villages and 15 villages in Abohar, Kuhian Sarwar, Arnivala and Fazilka, he added.
Mann said groundwater in the area has a high amount of total dissolved solids and other elements that cause hepatitis C, cancer and skin diseases, among others. He said the government decided to set up the project in the area because the Baluana constituency, under which it falls, was facing an acute shortage of drinking water.
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