Modi says 'don't go abroad,' but flies off on trips himself: Mann's jibe at PM
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his appeal to people to postpone foreign travels when he himself did not stop going abroad.
Modi on Sunday in his address to the nation called for judicious use of fuel, postponing gold purchases and foreign travel due to the West Asia crisis. He urged the people to use the metro, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
Speaking to reporters here, Mann said, "First, the prime minister should stop his foreign visits. Where is he now? He has gone to the Netherlands. He will visit 3-4 more countries. He has asked people to avoid but he still went (on foreign visits). You are shutting down everything... do not buy gold, do not undertake foreign visits, work from home."
He asked, "Why doesn't the PM work from home?"
The Punjab chief minister also took on the BJP-led Centre for increasing prices of petrol and diesel.
"We were to become 'vishwaguru' but we have become 'vishwachele'. The war is happening somewhere else but restrictions are being imposed here. Why has no other country implemented it (restrictions)?" he asked.
Mann said people across the country are struggling with inflation, rising transport costs and increasing household expenditure, but instead of providing relief, the Centre is asking citizens to reduce personal spending.
"Thankfully, the PM only advised people to save money and didn't ask them to beat 'thalis' and clap again," he said in a dig.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader asserted that instead of symbolic gestures and lectures, people expect practical steps to control inflation and reduce the financial burden on households, farmers and small businesses.
Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by Rs 3 per litre each on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses to fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices.
Modi has reduced the size of his convoy, prompting several BJP chief ministers and other leaders to adopt similar measures.
The prime minister is on a six-day tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy to discuss bilateral ties.
Meanwhile, on the Bhakra water-sharing issue, Mann asserted that Punjab will preserve its water rights at every cost. He said Haryana would receive water strictly according to its legally scheduled quota and not before the stipulated timeline.
"Punjab will not compromise on its water rights under any pressure," he said. The chief minister said water is an emotional, economic and agricultural lifeline for Punjab and his government is fully committed to protecting every drop.
Punjab has no spare water to share with any other state, he said.
To a question on the upcoming local body polls, Mann said his party will be victorious.
Mann praised his government's work on the job and infrastructure front, and attacked Shiromani Akali Dal, claiming that the party steadily lost both public support and credibility due to years of political decline and disconnect from people's aspirations.
Akalis no longer command the trust they once enjoyed among Punjabis, he said.
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Muslim organisations seek restoration of 2B reservation, place 10 demands before govt
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Rajya Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkoota has placed 10 major demands before the state government at the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’, including the restoration of reservation for Muslims under Category 2B of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and the repeal or amendment of the anti-cow slaughter law and the withdrawal of the anti-conversion law.
Presenting the demands in his keynote address at the convention organised by the federation at Town Hall in Bengaluru on Saturday, social activist Muhammad Yaseen Malpe said the Congress government had promised to withdraw the order issued by the previous BJP government banning hijab for Muslim girl students. He said the restriction remained in force until the date of the convention was announced and thanked the government for withdrawing it.
On reservation, Yaseen Malpe said the Congress government has not restored the reservation for Muslims under Category 2B, which was abolished by the previous BJP government in 2023, despite being in power for three years. He said that although the Supreme Court of India had stayed the order abolishing the reservation, no legislative steps have been taken to restore it, and urged the government to do so at the earliest.
Referring to the anti-conversion law, he said the state cabinet had decided on June 15, 2023 to repeal the legislation introduced by the BJP government. However, he noted that no Bill to withdraw the law has yet been introduced in the Legislative Assembly. He said the law, which he described as intended to harass minorities and curtail religious freedom, continues to remain in force and demanded that it be withdrawn immediately.
On the anti-cow slaughter law, he said the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 had become a “death warrant” for farmers, labourers, meat traders and cattle transporters and alleged that it was enacted with the sole intention of targeting Muslims. He demanded that the law be repealed or amended without delay.
Yaseen Malpe said the Congress had promised in its election manifesto to allocate Rs 10,000 crore annually for minority welfare. However, he pointed out that only around Rs 4,762 crore has been earmarked in the 2026-27 Budget, which he said was less than half of the promised amount. He urged the government to fully implement the commitment in the coming years.
On waqf properties, he alleged that large-scale encroachment, illegal transfers, undervalued leases and weak administration continue to affect waqf assets. He said the government had not done satisfactory work in recovering, developing and ensuring accountability in respect of waqf properties. He also expressed dissatisfaction that the state government had not clearly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 and called for a concrete plan to protect waqf properties.
Regarding the caste survey, he said neither the caste census report of the Kantharaj Commission nor the report of the survey conducted under the leadership of Madhusudhan R. Naik has been tabled in the legislature. He said this had stalled important reforms relating to reservation and welfare and alleged that the government had caused great injustice and disappointment to backward classes, Dalits, minorities and other weaker sections.
On hate speech, hate crimes and hate campaigns, he said incidents targeting Muslims, including mob violence, moral policing and economic boycotts, continue to occur. He said repeated offenders were not facing effective legal action and urged the government to take necessary steps.
On political representation, Yaseen Malpe said Muslims remain underrepresented in the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, corporations and boards, universities, commissions and local bodies. He noted that Muslims constitute around 13 per cent of Karnataka’s population, but only 19 of the Congress party’s 136 MLAs are Muslims. He also said that since this government came to power, only one Muslim had been given an opportunity in the selection to 15 seats in the Legislative Council.
He further stated that not a single Muslim heads any of the state’s major government medical institutions and demanded representation for Muslims in legislative bodies and key government institutions in proportion to their population.
On education, he said the government had undertaken some positive measures for Muslim students and expressed gratitude for them. However, he said substantial work remains to be done in staff recruitment, staff deployment, curriculum coverage, proper disbursal of scholarships and hostel capacity. He also pointed out that the condition of Maulana Azad Schools is highly concerning in several places.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he demanded that the Karnataka Legislative Assembly pass a resolution opposing the exercise, which he said had adversely affected minorities in Bihar and West Bengal. He urged the government to ensure that SIR is not implemented in Karnataka and that no voter is deprived of the right to vote.
