Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann goofs up on count of drug-free villages

In a faux pas, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday claimed that 700 panchayats in Fatehgarh Sahib had “given him in writing” that their villages were now drug-free, when the district had only 429 villages.

The CM made the statement addressing a gathering after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib.

One of the officers tried to correct him but he continued mentioning the same number, which resulted in laughter.

Mann also claimed that drug peddlers and anti-social elements, won’t be spared as his government was determined to eliminate the drug menace.

Without taking any names, Mann claimed that people were happy as the big fish had been put behind bars.

He also claimed that the Revenue Department had been almost freed from corruption. “Earlier, people used to pay hefty bribes to get their work done,” he added.

Mann, however, skipped interaction with the media.

Earlier in the day, he flagged off a special train carrying women panchayat members to Maharashtra’s Nanded, where they would undergo training.