New Delhi, May 6
The BJP has sharply criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after he accused the party of attempting to spread fear and unrest in Punjab ahead of elections following recent blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar on Wednesday. Responding to Mann’s remarks, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra described the allegations as “condemnable” and accused the chief minister of making politically motivated statements before the investigation into the incidents had been completed.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Patra said Punjab was a sensitive border state where every statement made by the chief minister carried weight. “Without waiting for any investigation report, Bhagwant Mann, at the behest of Arvind Kejriwal and for political gains, made such a statement. It is condemnable,” Patra said.
He cited comments by Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav and claimed that preliminary findings pointed towards possible involvement of Pakistan’s ISI in the explosions. Patra alleged that Pakistan and the ISI had repeatedly attempted to create instability in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir through militant activities.
“The investigation is underway. But the statement made at the behest of Arvind Kejriwal is divisive and harmful to the nation,” he added.Another BJP spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of failing to maintain law and order.
Poonawalla claimed incidents including grenade attacks, gang violence and murders had increased since the AAP came to power in the state.“Ever since the Aam Aadmi Party has come to power in Punjab, law and order has collapsed,” he said.
He further alleged that the Punjab government was using the police force for “vendetta politics” and providing “VVIP security” to party leaders instead of focusing on public safety.
Earlier in the day, Mann accused the BJP of trying to implement a “Bengal formula” in Punjab by encouraging division and fear ahead of elections.
In a post on X, the chief minister said Punjab’s tradition of communal harmony would not allow such politics to succeed.
“Punjab is the land of Gurus and peers; the Bengal formula won’t work here,” Mann wrote.
Investigations into the recent blasts remain ongoing, and authorities have not publicly confirmed responsibility for the incidents.
