Government of Bhagwant Mann will fall a week after the poll: Ex-CM of Punjab Charanjit Channi

On the opening day of his election campaign in Jalandhar, Congress candidate and former chief minister Charanjit Channi said in a combative manner that the Bhagwant Mann administration will fall within a week of the June 4 Lok Sabha vote results.

Upon receiving a Congress ticket, Channi made his first visit to Congress Bhawan to a raucous reception. “I am neither an absconder from any party, nor a purchased one, unlike other candidates,” he said at the start of his address. I’ve been sent here for your sewa by my party. I’ve lived in Jalandhar before. I’ve returned to my origins here, where my forefathers once lived.”

His initial assault was directed at both of his rivals: Pawan Tinu, the former Akali MLA who is now running for the AAP, and Sushil Rinku, the current MP who left the AAP to run for the BJP.

When Rinku quit the party, the AAP labeled him a traitor. Does Tinu need to be called a traitor as well now? I have seen Tinu being treated with respect by the Akali Dal. He received what he was due from the celebration. In the Congress and even in the AAP, Rinku was treated with respect. Their incessant need to switch to new parties is beyond me. How can they be honest to you if they can’t even be loyal to their parties? He questioned the assembly.

“I have come with a five-year development plan for Jalandhar,” Channi said. My goal is to elevate Jalandhar to the rank of Punjab’s second capital, behind Chandigarh. I’ll give it some TLC, just as I gave Kharar and Chamkaur Sahib. In Jalandhar, I want to establish a university and a hospital akin to PGI. There will be a surge in the local sports industry as well.

“Jhaduwale have failed to even maintain cleanliness in the city,” he said, launching another assault on the AAP administration. I all, what more is to be expected of them? They are limited to using their agencies to harass leaders. For the last two years, the Vigilance Bureau has been looking for me, but they were unable to locate anything.

Channi brought up concerns pertaining to the SCs when he was in the Dalit heartland. “This administration has not been able to use the Rs 25 crore money I granted Dera Sachkhand Ballan to establish a research center. There is improper usage of the SC scholarship program. In the last two years, the administration has also neglected to choose a Dalit leader as the Deputy Chief Minister, he said.