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Amid wave of ‘basanti’, Bhagwant Mann takes oath, invokes ‘Inquilab Zindabad’

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Amid a wave of ‘basanti’ and chants of ‘Rang de Basanti’, a revolutionary song, AAP leader and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who donned his traditional ‘basanti’ turban, took oath of office on Wednesday in this village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, who laid down his life for the country’s Independence, amidst a mass gathering of some 400,000 audience.

He ended the oath that he took in Hindi with slogan ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ or ‘Long live the revolution’.

Mann, a former comedian, 48, replacing Congress’ Charanjit Channi as the Chief Minister, became Punjab’s youngest CM in nearly four decades. He resigned as the Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur on Tuesday. He was the lone AAP MP from the state.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mann as the 17th Chief Minister. After the oath-taking, which was delayed by an hour, Mann in his address said he along with all the residents of the state also took oath as Chief Ministers. “You all will be the Chief Ministers,” he said.

He said the work would start today itself. “We are already very late. We are late by 70 years. People from all over India come to Delhi to see schools and ‘mohalla’ clinics, foreigners would come to Punjab and click photos,” he said.

Paying tribute to Bhagat Singh, Mann said, “Bhagat Singh was not just concerned about India getting its freedom but also the hands the country will go into once it is free. His concerns were valid. We are going abroad to those from whom we took our freedom. We will stay in our country and work for its betterment,” he said.

Marking a compassionate appeal to people, he said solutions to all problems — from unemployment to farming to business to schools — will be found.

Reciting a verse by Bhagat Singh, Mann said, “It is everyone’s birthright to love, why not make the soil of my nation my lover?”

Cutting across party lines, Mann said, “It will take many lives to pay back the love we have got from you. We are also the government for those who didn’t vote for us and we will work for them too.”

Before concluding his 15-minute speech, Mann said, “Hukumat vo karte hain jinka dilon par raj hota hai, yu kehne ko murge ke sar pe bhi taaj hota hai (The ones who rule are those who rule hearts, crowns even rest on rooster’s head).”

The newly elected legislators will be administered oath during the one-day Vidhan Sabha session to be held in the state capital on Thursday.

However, Mann’s cabinet will take oath on Saturday at the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.

Harpal Cheema, Aman Arora, Baljinder Kaur, Meet Hayer, Sarvjeet Kaur Manuke and Budh Ram, all second-time legislators, are likely on the list of Mann’s cabinet.

At the oath-taking venue, three podiums were set up on the stage. While the Governor and Mann were on the central podium, the second was occupied by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet, and the third by AAP’s 91 legislators.

“The golden ray of sun has brought a new dawn on Wednesday,” said Mann, who arrived at the venue about 45 minutes behind the scheduled time of swearing-in ceremony which was 12.30 pm, ahead of taking oath.

In a tweet, Mann said, “The golden ray of sun has brought a new dawn today. To realize the dreams of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Baba Saheb, the whole of Punjab will take oath today at Khatkar Kalan.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set to herald a new ‘Inquilab’ or revolutionary spirit, this is what the party that came to power in Punjab by sweeping the assembly polls with a three-fourth majority is indicating by holding the oath-taking ceremony in Khatkar Kalan.

After the landslide victory on March 10, Mann, who won the Dhuri seat with a margin of 58,206 votes, said during the Congress-Akali Dal governments, decisions regarding Punjab used to be taken in Moti Mahal, Siswan farm house and big ‘havelis’.

“Now the government of Punjab will run from villages and mohallas.”

“Earlier, Chief Ministers of Punjab used to take oath at the Raj Bhavan. I will take oath as Chief Minister at the village of Bhagat Singh, Khatkar Kalan,” he had added.

The BJP has also made efforts to invoke the legendry freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

In 2015, donning ‘basanti’ turban, Narendra Modi became the second prime minister to visit Hussainiwala in Punjab’s Ferozepur district.

Hussainiwala is the place where the last rites of the three freedom fighters — Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, were held after they were hanged in Lahore on March 23, 1931.

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Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Hands Over 8.5 Lakh Govt Appointment Letters At 14th Rozgar Mela In Gandhinagar

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Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday distributed job appointment letters for government positions during the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela held at the BSF campus in Gandhinagar.

The Union Minister said, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, a new India is emerging, with new employment opportunities being created in both the government and private sectors and job placements being done. I am happy that in the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela, 8.5 lakh job appointment letters have been given.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed recruits through video conferencing. Addressing the occasion, PM Modi extended wishes to the new recruits.”I have had many professional discussions with the youth of India in Kuwait.

After coming here, my first program is with the youth of the country. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the youth and their families,” he said.He emphasized that the government’s top priority is to make full use of the potential and talent of India’s youth.”Through Rozgar Mela, we are continuously working in this direction.

“For the past 10 years, there has been a campaign in various government ministries, departments, and institutions to provide government jobs. Even today, over 71,000 youth have been appointed. In the last 1.5 years, our government has provided permanent government jobs to nearly 10 lakh youth. This is a massive record in itself,” PM Modi said.

“In previous governments, no such initiative to provide permanent government jobs to youth in mission mode existed, but today, not only are millions of youth getting jobs in the country but these jobs are being provided with complete honesty and transparency,” he highlighted.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that the development of any country happens through the strength and leadership of its youth.

“Everyone has taken a pledge to build a developed India by 2047. We believe in this pledge because at the heart of every policy and decision in India is the talented youth of the country. Look at the policies of the past decade–Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Startup India, Standup India, Digital India–each of these programs was designed with the youth at the centre. India has changed its policies in the space sector, boosted manufacturing in the defence sector, and the biggest beneficiaries of these changes are the youth,” PM Modi said.

Rozgar Mela is a step to provide meaningful opportunities to the youth for their participation in nation-building and self-empowerment.

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Delhi BJP releases ‘chargesheet’ against Kejriwal, AAP govt

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New Delhi, Dec 23: The Delhi BJP on Monday released a political “chargesheet” against AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his party, enlisting alleged failures of the Delhi government over the last 10 years and instances of corruption involving ministers.

Releasing the “chargesheet” or “Aarop Patra” ahead of Assembly elections, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, “About Rs 52 crore of public money was wasted on Kejriwal’s luxurious Sheeshmahal (official residence). The AAP promised to clean Yamuna by 2025, but it turned into a toxic sewer filled with poisonous foam.”

He said that during the 10 years of “misgovernance,” Delhi turned into a “corruption capital.”

“Eight AAP ministers, 15 legislators and an MP have been jailed in these years,” he said, pointing to the liquor policy scam and slamming Kejriwal’s promise of ridding the city of corruption.

The BJP MP also targeted the AAP government for ignoring women’s safety, alleging that it failed to utilise the Nirbhaya Fund or build promised fast-track courts.

Kejriwal’s promises of fighting pollution, improving the quality of education and ending the tanker mafia have not been fulfilled in 10 years, said Thakur.

“The AQI once crossed 1,200, and even today it is over 500,” he said, adding that Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, who took a dip in the Yamuna, would be able to give a first-hand account of how polluted the river was despite tall claims by the AAP government.

“Delhi’s air pollution equals smoking 50 cigarettes a day. AAP failed to take action. The city is now home to the world’s tallest garbage mountain due to the AAP government’s mismanagement,” he said.

The BJP “chargesheet” also alleged that fake medicines distributed in Mohalla Clinics claimed lives, exposing AAP’s “world-class health model.” Thakur alleged that Rs 1,125 crore were wasted on incomplete ICU hospitals.

Delhi’s youth were betrayed by the AAP government as 29 Pratibha schools were shut under it, depriving students of quality education, he said.

Referring to the tanker mafia, Thakur said Rs 28,400 crore was allocated to the Delhi Jal Board, yet residents rely on tankers for water.

While the AAP promised free water, it has supplied only dirty, toxic water, risking public health, he said.

The former Union Minister said the AAP government’s promises of giving a “world-class drainage system” have been exposed by water-logging and monsoon deaths.

He added that the cost of water is the highest in the city.

Later, speaking to the reporters, Thakur said, “Arvind Kejriwal is the culprit behind the problems of Delhi residents. The infection of lungs in 22 lakh children is due to Delhi’s pollution and dirty water, which is the result of the failures of Kejriwal’s government.”

“They couldn’t utilise the Nirbhaya Fund, and the initiative to provide Rs 6,000 each to pregnant women was left incomplete. Now, after 10 years, they talk of distributing money. Where was Kejriwal’s government all this time? Where was the respect for women?” he questioned.

Criticising the management of the national capital’s finances, Thakur said, “Despite thousands of crores in Delhi’s treasury, the government is under debt. They talk about good education, yet one-and-a-half lakh students in classes 9 and 11 failed. Crores are spent on advertisements, but their sports university exists only on paper, and their skill and entrepreneurship universities remain under-utilised.”

He also accused the AAP government of doing disservice to the poor by denying them access to healthcare by not implementing the Central government’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

“By refusing to implement the scheme, they have taken away the right of the poor to avail medical insurance for treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh. Whether it’s clean water, free treatment, good education, better roads, or a pollution-free environment, the common citizen of Delhi feels betrayed,” Thakur said, calling Kejriwal the “biggest cheater.”

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‘Congress Remembers Dalits Only In Bad Times,’ Says BSP Chief Mayawati, Slamming Rahul Gandhi’s Parbhani Visit

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Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his visit to violence-hit Parbhani in Maharashtra. She said he was going there only to shed crocodile tears and accused the Congress of historically adopting a casteist and contemptuous attitude toward Dalits and backward classes.

Taking to X on Monday, Mayawati wrote, “Unfortunate incidents like Parbhani happened as a result of disrespect/insult towards the original architect of the Indian Constitution, the most revered Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and the feeling of inferiority towards his crores of followers. It is proved that Congress and BJP are not their true well-wishers, everyone’s intentions and policies are flawed.”

BSP Chief Mayawati On Rahul Gandhi’s Visit

Referring to Gandhi’s visit, Mayawati said, “The Congress leader’s visit today to Parbhani is nothing more than shedding crocodile tears because the Congress’ attitude towards the interests and welfare of Babasaheb and his followers has always been casteist and contemptuous, both during his lifetime and after his death. They remember the Dalits and backward classes only in their bad times.”

About Rahul Gandhi’s Visit To Parbhani

Rahul Gandhi, during his brief visit to Parbhani, will meet the bereaved families of Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, 35, who was studying his LlB, and another Dalit social worker Vijay Wakode, who suffered a heart attack and succumbed while attempting to control the rampaging mobs on December 11-12.

BSP Chief Calls For A Peacefl Nationwide Demonstration

The BSP chief also called for a peaceful nationwide demonstration at district headquarters to demand the withdrawal of alleged anti-Ambedkar remarks made in Parliament. “The entire society should unite and make these protests successful,” she urged, cautioning against “deceptive politics” carried out in the name of Ambedkar.

Mayawati reiterated her party’s commitment to its Ambedkarite mission, stating, “The BSP’s self-respect movement aims to empower the ‘Bahujan Samaj’ politically, while other parties merely pretend to champion Ambedkar’s legacy for political gains. Their actions are duplicitous — Ram on their lips, but a knife under their arm.”

The BSP has announced a nationwide agitation on December 24 to protest against Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial remarks about Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar in Parliament, which they claim disrespected the architect of India’s Constitution.

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