Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s Monday visit to Delhi to study its schools and hospitals faced flak from the opposition parties who dubbed his visit a "political drama"’ and a "photo op."
Congress leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu, Amarinder Singh Raja and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema also took to Twitter to slam the Punjab CM.
State Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said in his Tweet (in Hindi) that the states are run with policies and intentions and not with "jumlas." Referring to the plight of farmers of the state, he asked Mann to run less to Delhi and spend more time in Punjab.
In yet another Tweet he said: "While @BhagwantMann is off on 'study leave' to Delhi, farmers have been stuck with another blow of Rs 150/bag, hike in prices of DAP by hostile@BJP4India govt at Centre. Being in Delhi, Mann Sahab should take out time from his 'tutorials' to raise the matter with the Centre."
Meanwhile, former state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu said in a tweet, "CM@BhagwantMann’s 2-day Delhi visit is a deviation from real issues, it is a mere photo-op for benefit in other elections & waste of state exchequer. Punjab needs the policy to get out of the Financial, Farmers & Power crisis. Local problems need a local solution. The solution lies in income generation."
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema also took a jibe at Mann. "Before planning a tour to study 'Delhi model of education' @BhagwantMann should have toured his own schools first to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Today’s political drama may be helpful in selling his pseudo model in poll-bound states but won’t be much help to state," he said.
In yet another Tweet later in the day, Cheema said: "Breaking: After reaching Delhi @BhagwantMann came to know that they are following Meritorious Schools model of Punjab with some modifications. Thanks, @ArvindKejriwal for inviting our CM and briefing him about the Meritorious Schools model of Punjab."
Meanwhile, according to media reports, Mann, while interacting with newspersons in Delhi said that after seeing the Delhi schools he found that it was next-level education.
It is something that could not be thought of by even big schools that have been implemented by government schools in Delhi. He said that he had seen such schools in America-Canada but not in India.
