Harsimrat Badal Slams Bhagwant Mann, Makes Allegation Over Assembly Appearance

Harsimrat Badal attacks Bhagwant Mann, demands resignation over Assembly row

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has launched a sharp attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, saying he has “no moral right” to continue in office and should resign immediately following a controversy in the Punjab Assembly.

In a post on X, Badal accused Mann of hypocrisy, writing, “Look at the difference between the chief minister’s words and his deeds.”

She alleged that the Chief Minister attended the Assembly “in an inebriated state” while speaking on labour issues, and at the same time, police action was taking place outside his residence in Sangrur against women protesters.

“Yesterday, when he was in the Assembly in an inebriated state, reciting poetry for labourers and putting on a drama of being sympathetic to them, at the exact same time outside his own home in Sangrur, his police were shoving and pushing our sisters who were demanding their rights,” she said.

Badal added, “Bhagwant Mann no longer has any moral right to remain chief minister; he should resign immediately.”

Opposition allegations trigger uproar in Punjab Assembly

The controversy erupted during a special one-day session of the Punjab Assembly on Friday after opposition leaders accused Mann of attending the House in an intoxicated state and demanded that he undergo an alcohol test.

The issue escalated after Mann objected to Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira allegedly using a mobile phone inside the Assembly. Khaira responded with remarks about the Chief Minister’s family, further intensifying the exchange.

During the heated argument, Mann reportedly made remarks that were interpreted by the opposition as slurred speech, which triggered fresh allegations from Congress benches.

Subsequently, Khaira and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa demanded an alcohol test for the Chief Minister. Bajwa also wrote to the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly seeking mandatory alcohol and dope testing for all MLAs, to be conducted by a medical team from PGIMER.

The Congress has warned that its MLAs may boycott Assembly proceedings if the Chief Minister does not clear the allegations.