Punjab CM Channi's first day at office: Will waive off farmers' power bills

Soon after taking the oath of office, new Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said that his government stands with the farmers and would appeal to the Centre to withdraw the three farm laws.

Channi also said that his government will immediately waive the water and electricity bills of farmers.

“Punjab government stands with the farmers. We appeal to the Centre to withdraw the three farm laws…We will waive water and electricity bills of farmers,” he said.

In his first interaction with the media after taking oath, the chief minister said that he is a representative of the poor sections of society, including daily wage labourers and farmers.

“I am not a representative of the rich. I am the representative of the common man of Punjab,” he said.

Also read: Charanjit Singh Channi takes oath as chief minister of Punjab

A seemingly emotional Channi said that he comes from a poor family, and that “Congress has made a common man the Chief Minister”.

Praising his predecessor Captain Amarinder Singh, Channi said, “Captain did a lot of good work for the people of Punjab. We will take his work forward.”

“The new government does not have any vendetta against anyone. We will work on all the agendas proposed by the Congress party,” he said. He added that the party is supreme, not the chief minister or the cabinet. “The government will work as per the party’s ideology,” Channi said.

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, party’s state in-charge Harish Rawat, along with ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni, accompanied the new chief minister to the media interaction.

Before being nominated as the next chief minister of Punjab, Channi served as the minister for technical education in the Amarinder Singh cabinet. He served as Leader of the Opposition between 2015 and 2016.

(With inputs from ANI)