Sohal (Gurdaspur), November 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday warned opposition parties against expecting that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s welfare schemes would be discontinued, asserting that his government would continue spending public money on the welfare of people.
Addressing a Lok Milni at village Sohal in Gurdaspur district, Mann said the people of Punjab stood firmly with his government and predicted that the AAP’s ‘Jhaadu’ symbol would sweep the state again in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Taking aim at previous governments, he alleged that traditional political parties had used public resources to fill their own coffers, whereas the AAP government was returning people’s money through welfare schemes and development initiatives.
He cited free electricity, 71,777 government jobs provided on merit and the expansion of canal irrigation as key achievements. Mann also handed over a grant of Rs 51 lakh for development works in village Sohal.
“The government’s treasury will always remain open for the welfare of the people of Punjab,” he said, adding that his government would not allow public welfare initiatives such as free bus travel, Aam Aadmi Clinics and quality government schools to be discontinued. He also referred to financial assistance being transferred directly to women’s bank accounts.
Highlighting employment generation, the Chief Minister said 71,777 government jobs had been provided without corruption or payment of money. He maintained that transparent recruitment had restored the confidence of young people in government employment.
On agriculture, Mann said canal water utilisation had increased from around 22 per cent before his government took office to approximately 85-86 per cent. The government was working to raise it to 90 per cent, he added, so that more farmers could benefit from canal irrigation.
He also highlighted improvements in education, claiming that Punjab had moved from the 27th position in 2022 to the top position in primary education. He said 882 students from government schools had cleared NEET, compared with 80 in 2021, and pointed to teacher training programmes and Schools of Eminence as part of the government’s education initiatives.
On healthcare, Mann said 54 lakh families had received health cards under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana against an estimated 65 lakh eligible families. Around 650 private hospitals were part of the scheme, he added, urging the remaining eligible families to get their cards made to access cashless treatment.
Targeting the Congress, Mann accused its leaders of remaining occupied with internal disputes rather than focusing on Punjab’s development. He also criticised the Shiromani Akali Dal over its past record, including the sacrilege incidents involving Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and questioned its reported efforts to renew political ties with the BJP.
The Chief Minister said the BJP-led Centre had introduced the three farm laws that triggered a prolonged farmers’ agitation in which 750 farmers lost their lives. He questioned how the BJP could seek support from Punjab’s farming community and alleged that a renewed SAD-BJP understanding could put farmers’ interests at risk.
Referring to the Akali Dal-BJP government’s tenure from 2007 to 2017, Mann alleged that the drug problem had spread extensively during that period. He also raised questions over properties worth around Rs 750 crore belonging to Akali leaders being linked to proceeds of drug-related activities.
Looking ahead, Mann announced that his government would establish UPSC coaching centres across Punjab to help young people prepare for civil services examinations without having to leave the state or spend large sums on coaching elsewhere.
He urged people to judge political parties by their performance rather than electoral promises and symbolic gestures, and called for collective efforts to build a prosperous ‘Rangla Punjab’, invoking the ideals of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.
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