Bhagwant Mann takes oath as new Punjab CM, tells newly-elected MLAs to not get 'arrogant'

Mann, Punjab's 25th chief minister, said that his government will address issues like unemployment, corruption and farmers' plight.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administers the oath of office to AAP leader Bhagwant Mann as Punjab Chief Minister, in Khatkar Kalan on March 16 (ANI Photo)

New Delhi: Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday (March 16, 2022) was sworn in as the Punjab chief minister in a ceremony that took place at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Punjab's Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mann in presence of newly-elected Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and other leaders who were wearing yellow turbans.

What a moment 

Punjab di Aan, Baan aur Shaan, Sardar @BhagwantMann takes oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab#PunjabDaCMMann pic.twitter.com/jRcl1zjQ8i — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 16, 2022

A number of singers and artists, including Gurdas Mann, Karamjit Anmol, singer-turned-politician and Congress MP Mohammad Sadique, and Amar Noorie, were also present at the event.

After the oath-taking ceremony, Mann, Punjab's 25th CM, said that his government will address issues like unemployment, corruption and farmers' plight which are plaguing the state.

आपके प्यार का कर्ज़ उतारने के लिए कई जन्म लेने पड़ेंगे..

- Punjab CM @BhagwantMann #PunjabDaCMMann pic.twitter.com/oRboos52zn — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 16, 2022

"The work will start from today," he said and added that the condition of schools and hospitals in the state will be improved like it has been done by the AAP government in Delhi.

जिस मुल्क के लिए शहीद भगत सिंह फांसी पर चढ़ गए उसे छोड़ कर लोग दूसरे देश जा रहे हैं।

अब हमें अपने पंजाब को छोड़ कर विदेश नहीं जाना है। हमें यहीं रहकर अपने मुल्क को ठीक करना है।

- Punjab CM @BhagwantMann #PunjabDaCMMann pic.twitter.com/veTKCse2eE — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 16, 2022

"I appeal to you all to not get arrogant. We have to respect even those who didn't vote for us," Mann told newly-elected MLAs.

"Ishq karna sabka paidaishi haq hai kyun na is baar watan ki sarzamin ko mehboob bana liya jaye," he said quoting Bhagat Singh.

"इश्क़ करना सबका पैदाइशी हक़ है..
क्यों ना इस बार वतन की सरज़मीं को महबूब बना लिया जाए!"

- Punjab CM @BhagwantMann #PunjabDaCMMann pic.twitter.com/gLhmnDrApq — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 16, 2022

Elaborate arrangements were made for the ceremony which was attended by AAP supporters from various parts of the state. The men were wearing yellow turbans while women draped a yellow 'dupatta'.

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 the oath with him.

The AAP, notably, romped home winning 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, decimating the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine. 

(With agency inputs)