Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a sharp attack on the Congress party on Sunday, seizing upon a verbal slip by its state president to allege that the opposition had commodified the top post in the state. The controversy stems from Congress leader Amrinder Singh Raja Warring mistakenly using the word 'grahak' (customer) instead of 'daavedar' (contender) while referring to aspirants for the chief minister's position.
Warring's Slip of Tongue Triggers Political Storm
The chief minister, speaking to the media in Bathinda after inaugurating a district library, did not miss the opportunity to mock the Congress. "There used to be candidates for the post of chief minister in political parties, but Congress leaders are calling them grahak," Mann stated. He emphasized that he was not inventing the claim but quoting Warring himself, who had said he was not a 'customer' for the post.
Mann linked this to a recent claim by Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of former PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, that anyone aspiring to be CM would need Rs 500 crore. "It seems Congress leaders have become customers for this coveted post after the rate of Rs 500 crore came to the fore," the AAP leader remarked sarcastically. He suggested the Congress leadership was losing its mental balance in a "mad race" for power, quipping that he might have to open a 'pagalkhana' (mental hospital) alongside libraries.
Mann Accuses BJP of 'Sacrilege' and Politics of Hate
Shifting his focus to the Bharatiya Janata Party, CM Mann levelled serious allegations regarding a controversy involving Delhi's Leader of Opposition, Atishi. He accused the BJP of doctoring a video clip to include a derogatory reference to 'Guru Sahib' in the subtitles, even though the word was not originally spoken. "By doing so, the BJP committed sacrilege," Mann alleged, calling it an act of hate politics using religion.
He expressed dismay at the BJP's tactics, stating they created an awkward situation for its own senior state leaders who were forced to defend the party with lies. "The truth came to the fore after a forensic investigation," Mann said, asserting that Punjab could not be divided on sectarian lines.
On SGPC, Opposition Unity, and Governance
The chief minister also addressed several other pressing issues. He reiterated his commitment to visit the Akal Takht secretariat on January 15 as a humble Sikh to submit information regarding the alleged misuse of religious funds, not to demand any account.
Responding to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's (SGPC) allegations of interference, Mann questioned its stance on the law. "Now they are saying no law applies to the SGPC. But when they wanted to set up a medical college at Mastuana Sahib near Sangrur, they approached the court against land acquisition. If SGPC is beyond the law, why did they go to court then?" he asked.
Mann accused the Congress, BJP, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of joining hands against the AAP government. On allegations of extortion raised by LoP Partap Singh Bajwa, Mann said the government was acting against gangsters "created by previous governments" and agencies would investigate any threats.
On a developmental note, the CM said Punjab had immense tourism potential and announced plans to revive the floating restaurant at Sirhind. However, the library inauguration event was not without its own controversy. Reports indicated that the district library had been functional for months, and the administration had installed canopies to hide garbage dumped near its premises.
