Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to announce ‘big decision’ today, says ‘no one in the history of…’

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann took oath as Punjab chief minister on Wednesday in front of a massive crowd in Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Sardar Bhagat Singh, India's celebrated revolutionary and freedom fighter.

UPDATE: Mann launches anti-corruption helpline - his WhatsApp number

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann during the swearing-in ceremony as chief minister of Punjab at Khatkar Kalan village in Punjab. Photo by Ravi Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said that he will announce a “very big decision” that no one has taken in the history of the north Indian state. The newly-elected chief minister from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to Twitter to build up ahead of the announcement.

“A very big decision will be taken today in the interest of the people of Punjab. No one in the history of Punjab would have taken such a decision till date. I'll announce shortly...,” Mann posted on Twitter, which was retweeted by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, triggering speculations regarding the announcement.

The Punjab chief minister might announce the government's nod to fulfil some of the key pre-poll promises that drew the attention of the voters, including providing ₹1,000 to all women aged 18 and above and free electricity up to 300 units for every household.

Mann replaced Congress's Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab CM after AAP's impressive win in the recently-concluded assembly elections. After taking the oath of office in front of tens of thousands of people in Punjab's Khatkar Kalan village, Mann appealed to the newly-elected AAP lawmakers to not get arrogant and gave assurance to the public that the state government will work all.

Congress's ouster from Punjab and dismal performance in other four states led to the sacking of all state unit chiefs, including PCC boss Navjot Singh Sidhu. Sidhu, who sent his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, wished Mann for rising to the occasion and to bring back Punjab on the revival path with pro-people policies.

"The happiest man is the one from whom no one expects … Bhagwant Mann unfurls a new anti - Mafia era in Punjab with a mountain of expectations …hope he rises to the occasion , brings back Punjab on the revival path with pro - people policies … best always," Sidhu tweeted.