Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as the Punjab chief minister on Wednesday.
Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mann at the swearing-in ceremony that took place at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district. Only Mann took the oath during the ceremony.The event was supposed to start at 12.30pm but got delayed and began at 1.25pm. Besides the newly-elected Punjab AAP MLAs, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi minister Satyendra Jain, and other leaders wearing yellow turbans were present. AAP’s Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh and co-incharge Raghav Chadha also attended the event.
In his first speech after becoming the chief minister, Mann assured the people of the state that his party’s government in Punjab would work to address issues such as unemployment, corruption and farmers’ plight.”The work will start from today itself. We will not waste even a single day. We are already late by 70 years,” he said.
He promised that the condition of government schools and hospitals in the state will be improved like it has been done by the AAP government in Delhi. Like people from abroad come to see the improved schools and hospitals in Delhi, they will also come to Punjab, he said. He touched upon the issue of youngsters of Punjab migrating to other countries in search of greener pastures.
Thanking people for attending the oath-taking ceremony in large numbers, Mann said earlier, the swearing-in ceremonies used to take place at cricket stadiums or Raj Bhawans. “Now this oath-taking ceremony is held at the village of a martyr,” he said, adding that Khatkar Kalan was not new for him as he had visited it many times. “Bhagat Singh had dreamt of freedom and the AAP is fighting to take that freedom to the common people,” he said.
However, Bhagat Singh was concerned about who would take over the reins of the country once it got free. “His (Bhagat Singh) concern proved to be right,” said Mann, adding that those who ruled the country for 70 years did nothing. He also advised AAP volunteers not to be arrogant or use objectionable language against anyone. Mann said his government will also work for those who did not vote for the AAP.
