Chandigarh, August 20  BJP National Spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill has strongly condemned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for attending an election rally in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) yesterday. In a statement issued today, Shergill said that it is extremely unfortunate that at a time when Punjab is reeling under floods and had suffered massive devastation, Mann is busy in political rallies in poll-bound states to please his “super boss” Arvind Kejriwal.

 Asserting that Punjab needs a “Chief Minister (CM) and not a Campaign Minister (CM)”, Shergill said that by touring other states for political purposes, Mann is completely ignoring the interests of Punjab. “Mann has only one agenda to fulfill the political ambitions of Kejriwal, who takes him (Mann) along with him to poll-bound states to showcase the ‘fake’ Punjab model to get political mileage”, he asserted.

Shergill further said that to expand the footprints of the Aam Aadmi Party across India, Kejriwal is using Mann, adding, “Unfortunately, Mann himself is also more than willing to be just an assistant of Kejriwal and thus conceding to all his unjust demands.” He said that at a time when employees of different government departments are staging protests for non-payment of their dues, Punjab treasury is being emptied for political adventures.

Citing a few examples of Mann’s absence from Punjab in the recent past, Shergill said that Mann had held joint rallies with Kejriwal in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) on March 5, Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan) on June 18, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) on July 1 and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) on July 2.

“In the wake of the fact that on July 17, when 19 out of 23 districts of Punjab were reeling under floods, showing scant regard towards the plight of the people, Mann was enjoying a dinner of opposition leaders in Bengaluru. The very next day, he was present at the Opposition parties meeting in Bengaluru”, the BJP Spokesperson said, while terming Mann as a “highly insensitive” and “irresponsible” CM. 

Pointing out that Punjab needs a full-time Chief Minister, Shergill said, “But the sad reality is that Mann is busy pleasing Kejriwal by making unnecessary visits for campaigning in these states.” He also said that with media reports coming in that Kejriwal, along with Mann, will lead a high-pitch electoral campaign in the three poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, Shergill cautioned Mann, asking him not to “exploit” Punjab resources in these states, as he hid during the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat elections last year.  

Shergill said that it is an open secret that Mann had already wasted a huge amount from the state exchequer on advertisements being given in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, where elections were held last year. “Besides, Mann had also facilitated the air travel of Kejriwal on several occasions”, said BJP Spokesperson, while cautioning Mann, not to repeat what happened during HP and Gujarat elections, besides ensuring that the precious financial resources of Punjab should not be wasted on giving advertisements in these poll-bound states.