Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday escalated his charge against the BJP, holding the party responsible for the twin blasts outside security installations in Jalandhar and Amritsar on May 5.
Before embarking on the second leg of his four-day Shukrana Yatra, Mann told reporters at his official residence at Old Baradari in Jalandhar: “No one can break the hard-earned peace and communal harmony of Punjab. Punjab is a fertile land where one can grow any crop, but the seeds of hate cannot be sown here. The recent blasts are the signs of BJP’s entry in Punjab.”
Mann linked the incidents to the BJP’s post-poll rhetoric in West Bengal, citing their slogan: “Bengal sarkar hamari hai, abb Punjab ki baari hai (Bengal is ours, now it’s Punjab’s turn).” He characterised both the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal as communal entities, asserting that Punjab—having survived the era of the AK-47—remains resilient through its “strong brotherhood.”
Investigation vs allegation
The chief minister’s claims contradict the current police line. While Mann attributed the explosions—one outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters and another near the Khasa army cantonment—to the BJP’s “style of working,” director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary probes point toward IED blasts sponsored by Pakistan’s ISI.
The remarks sparked an immediate backlash. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh served a legal notice to Mann, demanding an unconditional apology. The BJP dismissed the allegations as a “malicious attempt” to deflect from the state government’s failures in maintaining law and order, calling it “dangerous” to blame a political party while a sensitive terror investigation is ongoing.
Chugh said Mann has “undermined” the dignity of the chief minister’s office by accusing the BJP of involvement without a shred of evidence. “This is precisely why legal proceedings have now been initiated against him for criminal defamation, spreading false information, and attempting to incite public unrest,” Chugh told reporters in Chandigarh.
“The question is simple: Is the chief minister safeguarding Punjab’s security, or is he providing political cover to anti-national forces? On a day when the nation is celebrating the courage and valour of our armed forces on the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, Mann’s attempt to link a democratic and nationalist party like the BJP with blasts is not merely a political falsehood, but an insult to the mandate and faith of millions of Indians,” Chugh said.
He said if Mann does not withdraw his statement and issue a public apology within seven days, both criminal and civil legal proceedings will be initiated against him. “
Mann’s Shukrana Yatra, launched to celebrate the passage of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Amendment) Act, is scheduled to culminate at Fatehgarh Sahib on May 9.
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