Sangrur, Nov. 21 -- Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed critics who have been finding faults in the government's efforts to commemorate Guru Teg Bahadur's martyrdom anniversary.

Speaking in Dhuri after distributing cheques worth Rs.71 crore for the development of 142 villages and towns in the state, Mann said all political parties traditionally commemorate such anniversaries, but some groups are opposing this occasion with ill intent. "The Akalis have frequently used religion as a shield to hide political failures. It is now hypocritical for them to question the government's devotion when they had already fallen in public esteem. All previous governments had observed centenaries of the Sikh gurus, and now, when the state gov...