A 40-acre parking lot is being built in Khatkar Kalan for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and the state’s CM-designate Bhagwant Mann’s oath-taking ceremony scheduled on March 16, 2022. According to a report by TOI the parking lot is being made by trampling wheat fields and the work on clearing the fields has already begun in the region.
Moreover, officials are not ruling out using additional fields for parking in the event of a larger gathering. IAS officer A Venu Prasad, who on Monday was appointed as the Principal Secretary to AAP CM designate Bhagwant Mann, has been overlooking the entire process. He reportedly visited the venue for taking stock of the preparations.
While Nawanshahr deputy commissioner Vishesh Sarangal did not take phone calls, official sources said farmers would be paid around Rs 46,000 per acre as compensation.
Two days after a massive victory in the Punjab Assembly election, Aam Aadmi Party leader and the state’s CM-designate Bhagwant Mann said he would take oath as the new Chief Minister on March 16 in Khatkar Kalan.
Congress slams ‘gross misuse of public exchequer’ by AAP even before its government’s swearing in
Amidst all the political brouhaha in the state, Congress claimed today that Bhagwant Mann had begun emptying the state government’s coffers even before his swearing-in ceremony. As Kejriwal, along with other AAP leaders like Manish Sisodia and Raghav Chadha arrived at Amritsar Airport for the roadshow, Congress leader Alka Lamba alleged that a total of Rs 2 crores 61 lakh are being spent for the roadshow from government quarters.
The official media platform of the Indian National Congress reiterated the same allegation by Tweeting, “Bhagwant Mann eager to empty the treasury of Punjab as soon as he arrived. According to sources, more than Rs 2 crore is going to be spent on the oath ceremony of Shri Bhagwant Mann.”
आते ही पंजाब के खजाने खाली करने पर आतुर भगवंत मान।
— INC TV (@INC_Television) March 13, 2022
सूत्रों के अनुसार श्री भगवंत मान के शपथ समारोह पर 2 करोड़ रुपये से ज़्यादा खर्च होने जा रहा है। pic.twitter.com/626EFQuGS9
Furthermore, the former Leader of the Opposition and Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira also called it gross misuse of the public exchequer at a time when Punjab is in deep debt.
“This is gross misuse of public exchequer for politically motivated party promotion which is totally unacceptable at a time when we’re burdened with a colossal debt of over 3 lac crores.” He also asked Arvind Kejriwal to deposit the money back in treasury.
This is gross misuse of public exchequer for politically motivated party promotion which is totally unacceptable at a time when we’re burdened with a colossal debt of over 3 lac crores. I urge @ArvindKejriwal to deposit this people’s money back in the treasury-khaira https://t.co/oSujA9XN9h pic.twitter.com/B8rGRpToSY
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) March 13, 2022
Bhagwant Mann invites Punjabi artists but not the outgoing current caretaker CM Channi, CMs of other states and Union Ministers for his oath-taking ceremony
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Mann uploaded a video on his Twitter handle inviting the people of Punjab to attend the new government’s oath-taking. “It will not be just me, but Punjab’s three crore people who will also take the oath. All of us together will have to realise the dream of Bhagat Singh. I alone have not become chief minister, all you, people of Punjab have become chief minister,” the CM-designate said.
Interestingly, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party were quoted by ANI as saying that aside from Kejriwal, no other state’s Chief Minister will be present at Bhagwant Mann’s inauguration. Similarly, no Union Ministers or major national leaders have been invited to this oath-taking ceremony. At the swearing-in ceremony, only AAP leaders and local leaders from Punjab will be present.
In fact, according to sources, Congress leader and the current caretaker Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also not been invited to Mann’s swearing-in ceremony. The ceremony, however, has been extended to all 117 MLAs. In addition, Bhagwant Mann’s family and others close to him have been invited. Among them are a number of Punjabi artists.
