The golden ray of sun has brought a new dawn on Wednesday, said Bhagwant Mann, reports Asian Lite News
Donning traditional ‘basanti’ turbans and stoles, tens of thousands of people, comprising women and the elders, on Wednesday morning started converging ahead of AAP Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann’ swearing-in ceremony in this village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, who laid down his life for country’s Independence.
Officials expect a gathering of some 4,00,000 audience for the oath of Punjab’s 18th Chief Minister.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party’s top functionaries will participate in the ceremony.
Mann’s ex-wife Inderpreet Kaur and both their two children, Seerat Kaur and Dilshan Manna, have flown all the way from the US to attend the ceremony. They were separated in 2015 after which the children shifted to the US with their mother.
The ‘pandal’ of the venue with yellow drapes and 1,00,000 chairs has been set up on 40 acres near the Bhagat Singh memorial.
In an appeal, Mann has requested the people across the state to reach Khatkar Kalan, some 80 km from the state capital Chandigarh on the highway to Jalandhar in Nawanshahr district, for the swearing-in ceremony by wearing ‘basanti’ (yellow) turbans and draping yellow shawls or stoles.
“We will colour Khatkar Kalan in ‘basanti rang’ that day,” Mann said in a message.
What is the relevance of ‘basanti’, the colour of spring?
A ‘basanti’ turban or ‘dupatta’ is associated recently with a year-long agitation of farmers against now repealed three farm laws, but also with sacrifice and patriotic spirit. Also the colour signals celebrations, a springtime kite-flying festival.
Activists inspired by the thoughts of Shaheed Bhagat Singh were shouting slogans ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ at the venue. Many of them were seen carrying a photo of the freedom fighter.
AAP registered a landslide victory, winning 92 seats in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly. Mann, who was contesting from Dhuri in Sangrur district, won by a margin of 58,206 votes.
With the deployment of over 10,000 security personnel, the oath-taking venue spreads over 150-acre.
Golden ray of sun brought new dawn
The golden ray of sun has brought a new dawn on Wednesday, said Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann.
In a tweet just ahead of taking oath of office, Mann tweeted in Hindi and Punjabi by saying, “The golden ray of sun has brought a new dawn today. To realize the dreams of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Baba Saheb, the whole of Punjab will take oath today at Khatkar Kalan.”
Mann will become state’s youngest chief minister at the age of 48 in nearly four decades.
AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is attending the searing-in ceremony, congratulated Mann on his success and invited the people to work together for the state’s development.
“Today is a big day for Punjab. In this golden morning of new hope, today the whole of Punjab will come together and take a pledge to make a prosperous Punjab,” he tweeted.
Raghav Chadha, party’s Punjab co-in-charge, tweeted: “Today marks an important day in the history of Punjab as three crore Punjabis will together be sworn in as chief minister along with Bhagwant Mann.”
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set to herald a new ‘Inquilab’ or revolutionary spirit, this is what the party that came to power in Punjab by sweeping the assembly polls with a three-fourth majority is indicating.
Mann becomes reason behind father-son reunion
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann who will take oath as Punjab Chief Minister on Wednesday has become the reason for the reunion of a father and son who have been separated for seven years.
Interestingly, the run up to this emotional moment has been the security arrangements put in place ahead of the swearing in ceremony of Mann in Khatkar Kalan village of Bhagat Singh.
Jaswinder Singh, son of Devinder Singh, a resident of Faridkot district ran away from the house seven years ago. Even as his family members tried a lot to find him, they could not locate him.
After this, a case was registered in the police station.
However, recently, Devinder’s son was spotted while he was setting up chairs at the swearing-in venue. As the swearing-in ceremony is an important event, the police were collecting information on every individual for verification, and Jaswinder was identified during that exercise.
When ASI Balwinder Singh of Nawanshahr inquired about him at his house, it was revealed that their son had left the house seven years ago.
When the family reached Khatkar Kalan, they met their son. Eventually, Devinder himself came to pick up his son at the venue and thanked the policemen.
Jaswinder Singh said he was working at the ceremony venue for the last five days. “Before that, I used to do crockery work. I was angry for some reason… and that’s why I had left home.”
