Kharar, September 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the opposition parties, accusing the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal of having “hollowed out Punjab like termites” and alleging that the Akalis were again seeking an alliance with the BJP to “loot” the state.
Addressing people during a Lok Milni programme in Kharar assembly constituency of Mohali, Mann said the opposition was focused on capturing political power, while his government was working on education, healthcare, roads, electricity and water. He cautioned voters that “a vote for opposition parties by mistake will shut down all pro-people schemes”.
Mann said traditional political parties were unable to accept that a person from a common family was running the state. He claimed that people had rejected their “misleading propaganda” and would once again teach them a political lesson.
Targeting the Akali Dal, the Chief Minister accused its leadership of being associated with incidents of sacrilege, destruction of evidence and firing on innocent people. He alleged that the party was now eager to join hands with the BJP for political gains. Mann said the people of Punjab would reject both parties because of what he described as their “sins” against the state.
He also accused the Akalis of trying to use religion for political gains and referred to the attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal at Sri Hazur Sahib.
Taking a dig at the opposition leadership, Mann said, “Some leaders are from Rahul’s quota, some from Modi’s and others from Amit Shah’s, whereas I am from the quota of the common man.”
The Chief Minister also attacked the Congress over its internal differences, saying its leaders were fighting among themselves for power while his government was focused on making Punjab “Rangla Punjab”.
Mann said the AAP government had made education, healthcare, infrastructure and welfare its priorities. He claimed that more than 90 per cent of households in Punjab were receiving free electricity, while farmers were getting daytime power supply. He said the government had provided jobs to more than 70,000 youth without corruption, improved roads, shut toll plazas resulting in savings of ₹70 lakh per day and undertaken development works across villages.
He highlighted the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, under which he said every resident family of Punjab was eligible for cashless medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh. Mann described it as a major step towards universal healthcare and said people had already availed themselves of free treatment.
On the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, Mann said women above 18 years of age were receiving ₹1,000 per month, while SC women were eligible for ₹1,500 from July 1. He said the assistance was being transferred directly into bank accounts and that around 97 per cent of women in Punjab were expected to benefit from the scheme. The government, he said, had allocated ₹9,300 crore for the initiative.
Mann said 70.92 lakh women had so far received the benefit, while 5.20 lakh recently registered beneficiaries were receiving ₹181.50 crore.
Emphasising education, the Chief Minister said government schools had witnessed a major improvement in results. He claimed that the number of government-school students clearing NEET had increased from 80 in 2021 to 882 in 2026.
He said teacher training, Schools of Eminence and other education initiatives had helped improve the state’s performance and claimed Punjab had surpassed Kerala and other states in education.
On irrigation, Mann said canal water had reached 1,587 villages that had never previously received it. He said ₹7,200 crore had been spent to expand canal irrigation and claimed that the area under canal irrigation had increased from 26 per cent when he assumed office to 80 per cent.
According to him, canal irrigation covered 20.89 lakh acres in 2022 and had now expanded to 60.30 lakh acres. He added that 45,000 kilometres of roads were being renovated and upgraded across Punjab.
Lok Sabha MP Malwinder Singh Kang and other leaders were also present during the programme.
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