Warring questions Mann’s prolonged absence from Punjab;

CHANDIGARH, October 9: Questioning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s prolonged absence from the state, the Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today asked him not to waste and squander away precious resources of Punjab in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections.“You are the Chief Minister of Punjabis, by Punjabis and for Punjabis and not for anyone else”, Warring told Mann while referring to his regular and prolonged absence from Punjab for Aam Aadmi Party’s electoral expeditions in other states.

The PCC president also referred to Mann’s absence from President Draupadi Murmu’s function yesterday in Chandigarh. “While it is the discretion and prerogative of the Chief Minister to choose the programmes he wants to attend and participate in, ideally he should have been present there since the President had come to the state for the first time”, he observed.

Warring alleged that Punjab resources were being squandered away in poll bound states of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. “Financial resources in terms of huge money are being spent on advertisements in these two states”, he said, while pointing out how planeloads of MLAs and other people are being ferried to Gujarat at the cost of the Punjabis’ money, which the state cannot afford.

He wondered as to what was the purpose of wasting financial and human resources in a state where all surveys suggest that AAP may not get more than a single seat out of 182 in Gujarat, while it is predicted not to win even a single seat in Himachal Pradesh.

“But irrespective of the electoral outcome there, we are concerned about Punjab and Punjabis who chose Bhagwant Mann as their Chief Minister to serve them and not for serving Arvind Kejriwal and nourishing and feeding his national ambitions at the cost of Punjab’s interests”, Warring added.