Page 4 - Bhagwant Mann

BJP alleges 'misuse' of Punjab administration in Delhi polls; CM hits back

BJP candidate from the New Delhi seat in the upcoming Assembly polls in the capital, Parvesh Verma, accused his rival Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday of "misusing" the official machinery of the AAP-ruled Punjab in the constituency. Reacting to the allegation, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Verma has "insulted" Punjabis and demanded an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. At a press conference here, Verma claimed that fearing an "imminent" defeat from the seat, Kejriwal is getting Chinese CCTV cameras installed in the constituency's slums just for the show with the help of the Punjab government. He further claimed that the Chinese CCTV cameras, installed in a "hurried manner", pose a security threat. "Punjab government's teachers and employees are being brought to Delhi for election campaigning. These individuals are masquerading as AAP workers," Verma said. He claimed that two teachers hailing from Amritsar were arrested by the police here. "Thousands of vehicles with

Delhi polls: Kejriwal, wife Sunita, Atishi, Punjab CM to campaign for AAP

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, his wife Sunita Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Singh Mann, are among the party's star campaigners for the upcoming Assembly polls in the national capital, party leaders said on Sunday. The list of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) 40 star campaigners includes all the party MPs from Delhi and Punjab, including Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Harbhajan Singh, as well as former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The list also features the speaker of the outgoing Delhi Assembly, Ram Niwas Goel, and MLAs Dilip Pandey, Gulab Singh and Rituraj Jha -- all of whom have been denied poll tickets this time. All the ministers in the outgoing AAP government, including Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghuvinder Shokeen, Imran Hussain and Mukesh Ahlawat, too are the party's star campaigners for the polls. The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 5 and the results are set to be declared on Februar

AAP delegation to meet EC officials, raise Awadh Ojha's vote transfer issue

A delegation of AAP leaders led by national convener Arvind Kejriwal will meet the Election Commission officials at 3 pm on Monday to raise the issue of transfer of vote of party's Patparganj candidate Awadh Ojha from Greater Noida to Delhi. Addressing a press conference here, Kejriwal said that it was an urgent issue since Ojha's candidature depended on transfer of his vote to Delhi so that he can file the nomination papers. Ojha filed Form 8 for transfer of his vote from Greater Noida to Delhi on January 7 -- the last day to do so -- but the chief electoral officer, Delhi, through an order changed the last date to January 6, the AAP chief claimed. "This is against the law," he said and suspected that the move was aimed at "deliberately debarring" Ojha from contesting the polls. Kejriwal said that although no appointment was given by the Election Commission (EC), but the party delegation will go there and wait for a meeting with the chief election commissioner since the matter was

Punjab govt rejects Centre's draft policy on agricultural marketing

The Punjab government has formally rejected the Centre's draft policy on agricultural marketing, asserting that it is an attempt to bring back the "contentious" provisions of the three farms laws repealed in 2021 after a year-long protest by farmers. The state government noted that since agriculture marketing is a state subject, the government of India should not come up with any such policy and should leave it to the wisdom of the state to frame suitable policies on the subject as per their concerns and requirements. The Centre had last year shared the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing with the state government for its views on it. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had already said the Centre was trying to "bring back" the now-repealed farm laws, referring to the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing. The AAP-led Punjab government had termed the draft policy as an attempt to reintroduce the three central agricultural laws

Police use tear gas against Qaumi Insaaf Morcha protesters in Chandigarh

Police used tear gas shells and a water cannon to prevent the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha activists from heading towards Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's residence here on Tuesday. The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha activists also clashed with the police personnel at Sector 43 near Chandigarh bus stand, leading to injuries to three policemen, including an inspector. The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, which is seeking the release of 'Bandi Singhs' (Sikh prisoners), had planned to march towards the Punjab chief minister's residence. The protesters had gathered in Mohali on the second anniversary of the morcha. Meanwhile, jailed radical preacher and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh's father Tarsem Singh said that he was placed under house arrest in Amritsar by the Punjab Police. Tarsem Singh was to participate in the programme of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha in Chandigarh. Barricades had been erected at several Chandigarh-Mohali border points to prevent the protesters from marching towards the chief minister's .

Punjab govt must persuade fasting farmer leader Dallewal by Dec 31: SC

The Supreme Court on Saturday gave the Punjab government time till December 31 to persuade farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been fasting for over a month, to shift to hospital. In an unprecedented hearing, a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan pulled up the Punjab government for allowing the situation to escalate and not complying with its earlier directions to provide medical assistance to Dallewal. Expressing helplessness, the Punjab government said it is facing huge resistance from protesting farmers who have encircled Dallewal and are preventing him from being taken to hospital. Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh told the bench that a team of experts visited the protest site and tried to persuade Dallewal to shift to hospital and take medical help. "He (Dallewal) has refused any kind of medical aid, including (IV) drips, saying that it will undermine the cause of movement," he said. This infuriated the bench which blamed the Punjab governmen

Mohali building collapse: NDRF rescue ops enter 2nd day, two dead

Indian Army said - Indian Army reacted swiftly for the rescue. In a remarkable display of coordinated efforts, Indian Army Columns along with NDRF and State rescue teams have been relentlessly working

BJP's Sachdeva questions Mann on party's promise of giving money to women

In the letter, the BJP leader asked the Punjab CM whether the Punjab government is giving Rs 1000 to women as part of their 'five guarantees' as promised in the 2022 polls

Amritsar explosion caused due to 'tyre blast', not major incident: DSP

Earlier, on Wednesday, the news of tyre blast was reported as 'major bomb blast' incident, according to several media reports

Punjab CM condemns attack on Sukhbir Badal, praises cops for swift action

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann strongly condemned the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was fired at while performing 'sewa' outside the Golden Temple on Wednesday morning, and directed police to investigate the incident. The chief minister also lauded the promptness of the Punjab Police in nabbing the attacker. The man missed Badal as he was overpowered by police. The audacious attack was captured on cameras of media persons who had gathered outside the Sikh shrine to cover the second day of Badal's penance for "mistakes" committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. "Punjab Police prevented a major incident from happening today. It is the result of the promptness of the Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed," Mann said in a post on X. "The police achieved great success by arresting the assailant on the spot with their promptness... I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal ji. I have issued

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann calls attack on Kejriwal 'utterly shameful'

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday condemned the incident in which some liquid was splashed on AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi. He said the alleged attack on the former Delhi chief minister was "utterly shameful." On Saturday evening, Kejriwal was greeting people standing behind a cordon when a man approached him and splashed some liquid on him, following which the security personnel swiftly overpowered him. Kejriwal and the security personnel accompanying him were later seen wiping their faces. Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Mann in a statement, said, "Since Kejriwal began questioning the BJP about law and order and public safety in Delhi, they have become frustrated. This attack is a direct result of that frustration. It is disgraceful that this is the third attack on Arvind Kejriwal in just 35 days. Whenever the BJP fails to fulfil its responsibilities, it resorts to violence and conflict." AAP Punjab president Aman Arora also condemned the

Punjab CM seeks financial support from World Bank to drive growth

The World Bank team held separate meetings with Bhagwant Mann and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini

AAP made farmers spend 20-25 days in Mandi during festivals: Raja Warring

Warring emphasized that the government's actions are not only failing farmers but are effectively dismantling the very foundation of Punjab's agricultural economy

Punjab CM approves prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda head in sacrilege cases

Cases were filed after several incidents in Bargari, Faridkot district, where the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs, was allegedly desecrated and had gone missing

Punjab CM urges farmers to avail subsidy scheme to curb stubble burning

Highlighting the scheme in a post on X, the Punjab CM said that the government is committed to addressing pollution which is caused by stubble burning

CM Mann bats for sustained campaign to reduce stubble burning in Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday batted for a sustained campaign to make farmers aware about the paddy straw management to further reduce incidents of stubble burning in the state. Chairing a meeting for preparations regarding crop residue management, the CM said farmers must be made aware of the hazards of paddy straw burning through a communication campaign, an official statement said. The chief minister said farmers must be made aware about the provisions of subsidy on straw management equipment. The farmers must also be informed about reduction in cost of managing straw through Custom Hiring Centres. Mann also advocated establishment of CHC at panchayats and other common places and directed deputy commissioners to launch a vigorous campaign to make farmers aware of the hazards of paddy straw burning. He said this will help in transforming a war against crop residue burning into a mass movement. Mann said under the crop residue management scheme 2024-25, the depart

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann chairs meeting to review paddy procurement

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired a meeting on paddy procurement on Sunday."Chairing a meeting to review the ensuing procurement of paddy, the Chief Minister said that the state government is expected to procure 185 LMT paddy to be brought into mandis by farmers during the procurement Season commencing October 1," as per an official release.Chief Minister Mann said that the state government is fully ready for the upcoming Khareef Marketing Season (KMS). He said that 32 lakh hectares of area was currently under paddy cultivation in the state, adding that Punjab is targeting procurement of 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that CCL to the tune of Rs. 41,378 crore for KMS 2024-25 has already been released by the RBI, as per the release."The Chief Minister said that the Government of India has fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2320 per quintal for grade 'A' paddy this season. He said that the State procurement agencies, viz Pungrain, Markfed, ...

Best of BS Opinion: Mr Mann has a lot to do, Pink bowls & yellow bottles

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Mann visible in Haryana polls, but Punjab governance needs attention

The AAP formed the government in Punjab in March 2022 with a slew of promises. Only a few of these promises have been kept

Bhagwant Mann govt inducts five AAP MLAs as Cabinet ministers in Punjab

The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government on Monday inducted five MLAs as ministers as it carried out a Cabinet rejig. Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers during a swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, among other party leaders, was also present. Those sworn in as ministers included Hardeep Singh Mundian, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Dr Ravjot Singh and Mohinder Bhagat. They took oath in Punjabi. Among the new inductees, three were from the Malwa region and two from the Doaba region. This was the fourth cabinet reshuffle of the 30-month-old AAP government in the state. Earlier, four ministers -- Chetan Singh Jouramajra (public relations, defence services and horticulture), Anmol Gagan Maan (tourism and investment promotion), Balkar Singh (local government and parliamentary affairs) and Bram Shanker Jimpa (revenue) -- were dropped from the Mann Cabinet. Currently, the stre