New Delhi. Bhagwant Mann, the newly elected Chief Minister of Punjab and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, has been accused of visiting a gurdwara in a state of intoxication. It is alleged that he had entered the Talwandi Sabo Damdama Garudwara in Bathinda on the day of Baisakhi on April 14. At the same time, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal has demanded an apology from Bhagwant after conducting a medical examination. On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party unit of Punjab has termed the allegations against its leader as baseless. The party said that these allegations have been leveled against him with the aim of tarnishing the image of the Chief Minister. However, after taking cognizance of this whole matter, the Gurdwara Sikh Prabandhak Samiti had earlier demanded an apology from AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, but now the committee’s soft stand is coming to the fore. The committee has made it clear that they need not apologize. On the other hand, Mann himself has termed these allegations against him as baseless. He also echoed the voices of other leaders of his party and said that such allegations are being made to tarnish his image.
On the other hand, AAP spokesperson Malvinder Singh, who came to the rescue of its leader, said that the allegations made by Sukhbir Badal with the aim of maligning the Chief Minister’s image are unfortunate. He said that as an opposition, instead of tarnishing one’s image, he should focus on positive politics, which would also be beneficial for the state. However, Raghujit, senior vice-president of Gurdwara Sikh Management Committee, accused the chief minister of saying that when Bhagwant Mann was talking to reporters, it was clear that he was drunk.
However, people have their own opinion regarding this whole issue. While the opposition parties say that Mann was drunk, the leader of the ruling party says that the allegation has been made to malign his image. However, even before taking over as the Chief Minister’s chair, he has been facing allegations of drinking and creating ruckus in public places, keeping in mind that when AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced him as the Chief Minister’s candidate from Punjab before the elections. If he did, he had to stand in the question box.