Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini stated that Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee made the ultimate sacrifice for the unity and integrity of India, asserting that his lifelong dream was realized when Prime Minister Narendra Modi abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking as the chief guest at a grand ceremony commemorating Dr Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary in Pathankot, Punjab, Saini emphasized that the Indian tricolour now flies proudly from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. The high-profile event was attended by prominent regional leaders, including Pathankot MLA Ashwini Sharma, former Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dinesh Babbu, and former MLA Seema Kumari. Paying rich tributes to the host city, Saini described Pathankot as the strategic northern frontier of the nation, defined by the valor of its martyrs and patriots.
The Chief Minister highlighted Dr Mookerjee’s extraordinary journey as a visionary educationist who became the Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University at the young age of 33, earning the moniker “Tiger of Bengal.” Saini recalled that as independent India’s first Industry Minister, Dr Mookerjee chose national interest over political power by resigning from the Union Cabinet in 1950 due to his deep disagreement with the Liaquat-Nehru Pact and the displacement of minorities from East Pakistan. His iconic slogan against having dual flags, constitutions, and heads within one nation culminated in his historic arrest at Madhopur while entering Jammu and Kashmir without a permit alongside former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leading to his tragic demise in custody which Saini termed a supreme sacrifice for national integration.
Turning his focus to contemporary governance, Saini credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for transforming India from a nation associated with global problems into a global solution provider. He highlighted monumental central achievements over the last eleven years, including affordable housing, Digital India, Skill India, and Make in India, alongside massive expansions in highway networks, Vande Bharat trains, and airport infrastructure. The Chief Minister contrasted Haryana’s robust healthcare system—where 17 medical colleges have been established under the vision of having one medical college per district—with the heavily publicized “Aam Aadmi Clinics,” noting that Haryana successfully integrated its Chirayu scheme with आयुष्मान भारत to expand healthcare security.
Saini launched a sharp political critique against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, stating that every section of society in the neighboring state feels cheated by hollow promises. He contrasted the governance models of the two states, noting that while Punjab’s youth struggle with a severe drug menace and unemployment, Haryana has provided transparent, merit-based government jobs to nearly two lakh youth without any corruption. He added that while Punjab’s farmers face constant distress, Haryana has become the first state in India to procure all 24 crops at Minimum Support Price, besides distributing ₹16,500 crore in crop damage compensation since 2014 compared to just ₹1,136 crore given during the previous Congress decade. Saini further criticized the delayed financial promises to women in Punjab, highlighting that Haryana proactively provides ₹2,100 per month to women. Concluding his address, the Chief Minister declared that the future of Punjab will be decided by its own resilient people and not by political dictates from Delhi, asserting that the BJP seeks an opportunity to serve the state to restore it as a prosperous “Rangla Punjab.”
