Chandigarh: The mother of AAP’s two-time Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann, who got emotional on hearing that his son was announced as the chief ministerial candidate by the party in Punjab, on Tuesday urged the people to support his son like they’ve done for 30 years in his every endeavour for the February 20 Assembly polls.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal declared Mann as party’s chief ministerial face. Mann’s mother Harpal Kaur and sister Manpreet Kaur were present.
“We were born and brought up in a very simple family. That is why my son is well aware of the problems and miseries of the common people,” Harpal Kaur told the media.
Responding to his elevation, Mann’s sister Manpreet Kaur, a teacher in a private school in Patiala, said she got emotional when her brother’s name was announced as the chief minister candidate.
He had raised the problems of society in his comedy too. “Before joining politics, he used to say laughter comes only when the stomach is full. But today that laughter of Punjab is missing,” Mann’s sister said.
She said that like his days as comedian he’ll bring a smile on the faces of the people of Punjab and this time by working for their betterment.
Announcing Mann’s name, Kejriwal said that 21,59,437 people had expressed their opinion in favour of Mann. He said 93.3 per cent people elected Mann as their choice and now party has officially declared him as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections.
“Every Punjabi is proud of my younger brother Bhagwant Mann,” said Kejriwal. “I had already excluded myself from the race of Chief Minister, but some people still suggested my name. We excluded all the votes that suggested my name. Traditional parties often hand over the power to their immediate family members and relatives. Bhagwant is my younger brother, if I had declared him as the chief minister’s face myself; people would have said that I’ve chosen my brother as CM candidate. That’s why we started a new democratic tradition to elect the CM candidate.”
Mann was seen getting emotional too after hearing the announcement. Kejriwal hugged him and gave him love and best wishes.
Mann told the media that he is a dedicated soldier of the party and he’d fulfil every responsibility that’s bestowed upon him by the party as well as the people of Punjab.
He said it was an important day for him and party and now his responsibility has doubled. “But, we won’t celebrate today. We’ll truly rejoice once we succeeded in our aim to make Punjab happy and prosperous again.”
Mann reiterated that AAP’s agenda is to eradicate drugs from Punjab and to provide employment and quality education to the youth and he’ll celebrate only after achieving all these goals.
Mann said his dream is to make Punjab drug free, to provide sufficient employment, best and free education and he wants to make Punjab’s agriculture and farmers prosperous, and he’ll not rest until all these dreams come true.
Mann said that Aam Aadmi Party will bring Punjab on the top again and it’ll be our country’s jewel like it used to be.
In last assembly polls in 2017, AAP won 20 of 117 Assembly seats and became the main opposition in the state, relegating the Akali Dal to the third place.
Of the 20 AAP legislators in the outgoing Assembly, 10 have defected till date.
IANS