Jhota case: Congress MLAs demand CM Mann’s resignation

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Proceedings in the Punjab Assembly were disrupted on Friday as Congress MLAs demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s resignation over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. While talking to reporters, Leader of the Opposition(LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa said the Congress had boycotted the Assembly proceedings for the second consecutive day and would continue to do so until Jhota and his family received justice.

Bajwa alleged that Jhota’s murder was not the result of any personal enmity and claimed that he had been targeted for campaigning against drug trafficking in Punjab. “He had launched a campaign to save the youth of Punjab. We hold the Home Minister and the Chief Minister directly responsible because we believe their police and administration worked together to facilitate the murder of this young man,” Bajwa said.

“The primary demand of the people of Punjab is that Bhagwant Mann resign. This is why we boycotted proceedings for the second day as well,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Sunil Jakhar staged a protest outside the Punjab Legislative Assembly along with the family of Ajay Kumar, who was allegedly murdered by drug traffickers in Abohar.

Jakhar demanded justice for the family and accused the state government of failing to take meaningful action despite assurances.

Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh also criticised the chief minister, alleging that Mann had surrendered his authority to leaders from Delhi.

He said Mann had bowed to “rejected and absconding leaders from Delhi”, accusing the chief minister of allowing outsiders to dictate Punjab’s affairs. “This is the reality of his leadership and the limit of his capabilities,” Pargat Singh said.

Responding to the disruption in the Assembly, Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP of contributing to the state’s drug problem. Referring to the period of militancy and violence in Punjab between 1980 and 1995, Cheema alleged that Congress leaders were responsible for killings during that period.

“The Congress party is the killer of the youth of Punjab. They have killed our children. What issue are they raising today?” he said.

Cheema also criticised previous governments for failing to tackle drug trafficking, saying neither the previous Congress government led by Amarinder Singh nor other administrations had taken effective action.

He accused the Akali Dal and the BJP of introducing drugs into Punjab and alleged that opposition parties were now politicising the deaths of young people.

The exchanges reflect growing political tensions over drug trafficking and the deaths of people who have campaigned against the menace in Punjab. The opposition has demanded accountability from the state government, while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party has accused its political rivals of exploiting the issue for political gain.