Chandigarh, March 11 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday criticised the opposition, accusing them of abandoning the budget debate because they could not defend their criticism of his government's new scheme to provide Rs 1,000 per month to women.
Mann said that parties that kept people poor for decades are now uncomfortable with the empowerment of ordinary families under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Concluding the debate on the budget estimates for 2026-27 in the state Assembly, Mann said that it is aimed at fulfilling the aspirations of freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh, while reaffirming that his government has delivered on all its election guarantees within four years and is now preparing its agenda for the 2027 assembly elections.
He also said that the opposition already knows that his government will return to power in 2027, which is why it chose to run away from the debate instead of facing the truth before the people.
The Congress MLAs were not present in the House during the budget debate on Wednesday.
Mann said that the budget, which was presented on March 8, focuses on providing facilities to those whose progress is often hindered by financial constraints.
Taking note of the criticism of the 'Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satkar Yojna' by opposition leaders, the chief minister said that wealthy leaders of traditional parties are deliberately insulting poor people.
"Traditional parties never worked for the welfare of the poor, due to which many families still struggle with poverty and find it difficult to arrange two meals a day," said Mann.
Referring to efforts to ensure canal water reaches tail-end areas and reduce dependence on groundwater, the chief minister said that recent data reflect encouraging results.
"According to data presented in the Rajya Sabha by the Central Ground Water Board, groundwater levels have increased in 57 per cent of observation wells in Punjab, with the rise mostly ranging between zero and four metres," said Mann.
Criticising the opposition, Mann said that the rival parties had earlier claimed that free electricity could not be provided, yet the Punjab government successfully fulfilled the promise.
"They also claimed that Bhagwant Mann would not remain chief minister even for a year, yet I have been serving as the CM for four years," noted Mann.
He asserted that he will continue to serve as the chief minister even after the 2027 elections.
Taking a dig at the absence of opposition members during the debate, Mann said they have never been serious about the issues of their constituencies and predicted that they will also disappear from the political map in 2027.
"The Congress party is suffering from internal factionalism and cannot return to power," alleged Mann.
He added that the party's condition has deteriorated to such an extent that it now wants to contest assembly elections without declaring a chief ministerial face.