Chandigarh falls under Centre’s jurisdiction; Union Home Minister is responsible for attack outside BJP office: CM Bhagwant Singh Mann

SANGRUR(The Uttam Hindu): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday firmly held the Centre accountable for the attack outside the BJP office in Chandigarh, asserting that a Union Territory under central control cannot become a convenient ground for political blame-shifting. Making it clear that responsibility lies squarely with the Union Government, he stated that if attempts are being made to pin the incident on him, then the Centre should hand over Chandigarh to the Punjab Government instead of evading its own duty.

At the same time, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann drew a sharp contrast between governance models, highlighting how the AAP government is reducing the financial burden on people while the Congress-led government in Himachal Pradesh is imposing unjust entry taxes on the public, calling the move anti-people and vowing strong opposition at every level.

Reaffirming his government’s commitment to farmers, the Chief Minister underscored that Punjab will continue to strongly take up the demands of Aarthiyas with the Union Government, ensuring seamless procurement and standing firmly with the farming community.

Speaking to media on the sidelines of dedicating a Community Health Center at village Cheema, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Though Chandigarh is administered by the Governor of Punjab, for everything that happens in the Union Territory right from farmers agitation, agitation in Panjab University (PU) or others, the BJP loves to blame me.”

The Chief Minister asserted, “The BJP should refrain from baseless and irrelevant statements on this issue as the area is under the jurisdiction of the Administrator of Union Territory. If Punjab demands Chandigarh it is being labelled as separatist but on the other hand the centre runs away from its duty to maintain law and order there.”

Opposing the Congress-led Himachal government’s decision to impose an entry tax, he said, “On one hand the AAP government is abolishing the tool tax and giving reprieve to the common man whereas on the other hand these people are levying undue taxes on people. This move is totally unwarranted and undesirable and will not be tolerated at any cost and will be opposed both tooth and nail.”

On farmers’ concerns, the Chief Minister stated, “I will flag the genuine demands of the Aarthiyas with the Union government as all their demands pertain to the Government of India (GOI). These issues have been repeatedly raised with the centre and will again be put up before the Union government. The AAP government is firmly committed to ensure smooth and hassle free procurement for benefitting the farmers.”