The North News
Chandigarh, August 11
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has accused the Badal family of politically, economically, and religiously damaging the state during their time in power, calling the 2007–2017 period “the darkest” in Punjab’s history. Speaking in Sangrur, Chief Minister Mann challenged Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal to name one achievement of his party’s decade-long rule, alleging it was marked by the growth of transport, cable, sand, drug and other mafias. He said the drug menace was “patronised” under the Akali regime and vowed that leaders responsible for such crimes were now facing justice.
Mann also criticised leaders of traditional parties, including Congress and the BJP, for supporting a former Akali minister in jail on drug charges. “This exposes the collusion between these parties,” he said, urging them to state whether they stood with or against drug traffickers.
He accused his political rivals of plundering state resources for personal gain and said they were envious of his background as a common man. “They believed they had a divine right to rule,” he told the crowd.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated a newly upgraded Jathedar Kartar Singh Darvesh Senior Secondary School, now a School of Eminence, costing ₹3.40 crore, and a ₹7.81 crore Government Nursing Training School equipped with modern facilities.
In a health initiative, Mann flagged off 12 mobile cancer screening buses from World Cancer Care to provide door-to-door testing and awareness. The programme will offer free mammography, Pap smear, PSA tests, oral screenings, bone density checks and other diagnostics, with a focus on rural Punjab. Calling it “a historic day,” Mann said the campaign was part of the state’s fight against cancer, a disease that has severely affected Punjab’s Malwa region.
