Bhagwant Mann took oath at Khatkar Kalan village which is the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
New Delhi: After the Aam Aadmi Paty’s stupendous victory in the Punjab Assembly elections, Bhagwant Mann has been sworn as the 17th chief minister of the state.
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the swearing-in ceremony. Mann took oath at Khatkar Kalan village which is the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Mann raised the slogan of ‘Inquilab Zindabad. He addressed the supporters and said that like other political leaders he won’t run to foreign countries but will stay here and find out the root cause of issues in Punjab.
He said that like the Delhi model, the govt will now build schools in Punjab, will work on issues like unemployment, corruption, problems faced by farmers. He said, ” we are also the govt of those who did not vote for us and will also work for their development.
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal was also present during Bhagwant Mann’s oath ceremony. Other AAP Leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh also attended the ceremony along with MLAs who will be taking oath as Punjab cabinet ministers at a later date.
Around 3 lakh Aam Aadmi Party supporters from across the state reached Khatkar Kalan on Wednesday morning to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
The men were wearing yellow turbans while women were draped in a yellow ‘dupatta’. Yellow is the colour theme of the AAP in Punjab in a nod to the song ‘Rang de basanti’, penned by revolutionary poet Ram Prasad Bismil and popularly associated with the spirit of Bhagat Singh and his comrades.
“We want to congratulate Bhagwant Mann and the entire Punjab,” said a party supporter from Shutrana, reported PTI.
Another supporter, who came from Mann’s Satoj village in Sangrur said, We have high expectations from him and he will definitely live up to them. The way Kejriwal did good work in Delhi, Mann will also do the same in Punjab.
When Mann was leaving for Khatkar Kalan from Mohali, a few of his supporters showered flower petals on his vehicle and congratulated him.
“I am very happy that my brother (Mann) is going to be the CM. We are very happy about it, said a woman supporter in Mohali.
The 48-year-old Mann had invited the people of the state to attend his swearing-in ceremony, saying the three crore people of Punjab will also take oath with him.
Foolproof security arrangements were made for the ceremony and several senior officials, including inspector general and senior superintendents of police, were deputed for the event. Around 8,000 to 10,000 security personnel were deployed to guard the ceremony.
The AAP romped home winning 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, decimating the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine.
