Jalandhar
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.”
The 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.
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.”
The CM said that wherever the BJP goes, it spreads fear, unrest and division before elections.
Investigation vs allegation
The CM’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.
BJP serves legal notice
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.
Strict law against drugs soon: CM
Mann also said his government will bring an anti-drug law under which drug smugglers’ properties will be confiscated. He also accused previous governments of patronising drug traffickers, allowing the menace to spread across Punjab.
Mann further said that following the enactment of the anti-sacrilege law, the Punjab government will bring an even harsher law against the drug menace. “Now, properties of drug smugglers will be confiscated, they will face strict punishment, and easy bail will no longer be possible. Earlier, many accused even got bail directly from police stations. This system will end,” he said.
Addressing a gathering in Kotkapura, Mann said that people cannot forget the brutal police firing on peacefully protesting Sikhs at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan against the desecration of the Sikhs’ holy scriptures.
“Instead of delivering justice, the Shiromani Akali Dal government led by the Badals complicated the crimes of sacrilege and police firing on protesters. The SAD regime made these cases so weak that we have to rework them to punish the guilty. It is sad to see that those behind the desecration and firing on the Sikh sangat are still roaming free due to weak laws and poor handling of the cases,” the CM said in his address.
The CM also addressed gatherings in Zira and Talwandi Bhai in Ferozepur district.
(With inputs from HTC Bathinda)
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