Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has come under fire from state Congress leaders after his recent remarks targeting Rahul Gandhi. Senior Congress leaders Partap Singh Bajwa and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused Mann of echoing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rhetoric and acting as its political foot soldier.
Responding to Mann’s comments, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, took to social media platform X to criticise the chief minister’s leadership. Bajwa contrasted Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide outreach with Mann’s governance in Punjab, stating that Rahul Gandhi walked 4,080 km in the Bharat Jodo Yatra to unite India and advocate for the poor and minorities, while Punjab under Mann's leadership struggled with issues such as drug abuse and unfulfilled promises.
He accused the chief minister of neglecting key responsibilities, skipping budget sessions, and avoiding accountability while merely echoing the BJP’s stance.
Bajwa further remarked that while India's Chandrayaan mission had soared to success, Mann’s leadership, allegedly influenced by alcohol, remained ineffective. He urged the chief minister to reflect on his own shortcomings before criticising Rahul Gandhi.
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Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also strongly condemned Mann’s remarks, expressing disappointment over his stance on Rahul Gandhi. Warring accused the chief minister of enlisting himself in the BJP’s “troll army” and suggested that Mann was taking direct orders from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He further alleged that after launching a harsh crackdown on farmers, Mann was now making efforts to ingratiate himself with the BJP by going beyond what was expected of him.
Warring claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party was functioning as an auxiliary force for the BJP and that Mann had willingly positioned himself as a "reserve player" in their political strategy.
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He speculated that there might be undisclosed reasons compelling Mann to target Rahul Gandhi without justification and referenced the popular saying, Kuchh toh majbooriyan rahi hongi, yu he koi be-wafa nahi hota, implying that Mann's actions were driven by hidden compulsions.
The controversy erupted after Bhagwant Mann, in an interview on Sunday, dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s leadership abilities, stating that the Congress leader was not suited to be at the helm of the party.
Mann remarked that leadership was not an inherited privilege and that Rahul Gandhi lacked the qualities necessary to lead. He questioned why Congress was insistent on projecting him as a leader and suggested that even Rahul Gandhi himself was unhappy with his political predicament.
Mann’s comments have deepened the political rift between AAP and Congress in Punjab, with Congress leaders viewing his statements as part of a larger BJP-driven agenda aimed at undermining opposition figures.
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