If politics were an Olympic sport, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann would easily bring home the gold for changing statements. One day, he thunders that Punjab is rich enough and he doesn’t need a single rupee from Delhi. The very next day, with folded hands, he appeals to Punjabis across the globe to donate “more and more” into his freshly minted Charhdikala Fund. Never mind that the state already has a CM Relief Fund. Why settle for one collection box when you can have two? And better yet, the new fund is a society, conveniently shielded from RTI. Transparency, after all, is overrated!
On ration cards, Mann’s script is even more entertaining. First, he plays the hero, declaring: “Not a single ration card will be canceled in my Punjab!” Applause follows. But soon after, reality strikes and he signs on to the Food Safety Act, under which ration cards must be reviewed and canceled. So now the same people who cheered his promise are standing in line, papers in hand, wondering if their ration cards will survive the great policy flip.
Then comes health and education. With grand fanfare, Mann announces that Punjab will soon shine with new medical colleges. The very next act? A sheepish confession that due to stalled hospital tenders in Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur, the state won’t apply for new medical colleges until at least 2026–27. Dreams of world-class health care postponed — but at least the speeches remain on time.
Gangsters and drugs? Here too, the CM has perfected the art of contradiction. One week he declares Punjab is the safest place in India, crime is under control, and gangsters have been shown the door. The next week, headlines scream of gang wars, extortion, and drug hauls. Apparently, the gangsters didn’t get the memo about Punjab being “safe.” And as for drugs, the earlier promise of a “drug-free Punjab in months” has quietly been stretched into “well, it’s deep-rooted, it’ll take time.” Maybe decades.
And let’s not forget the farmers. “Payments will be made on time!” he assures them at rallies. The farmers clap, hopeful. Weeks later, the same farmers are camped outside offices demanding their delayed dues. It seems in Punjab, the only thing delivered on time is the Chief Minister’s latest U-turn.
In fact, if you put together all of Mann’s contradictory statements, you could print a full-length comedy script. The problem is, it’s not comedy for the people of Punjab — it’s their daily life. At this rate, citizens may soon need a dedicated app just to keep track of which Mann-statement is valid on which day.
One thing, however, is clear: consistency is not the CM’s strength. But if there were ever a competition for “Most Statements Changed in the Shortest Time,” Punjab wouldn’t just participate — it would win hands down. Thanks to Mann Sahib, U-turn politics is now a government policy in itself.