CM Mann arrived drunk in assembly alleged by opposition
Chandigarh: A political controversy broke out after BJP MP Swati Maliwal accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of arriving at the state Assembly under the influence of alcohol.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa called for immediate breathalyser and dope tests for the Chief Minister as well as all MLAs during the ongoing session.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira echoed the demand, claiming Mann appeared drunk in the Assembly and stating that opposition members even offered to undergo testing themselves.
In a post on X, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira wrote, "Cm BhagwantMann was found drunk in the Vidhan Sabha today! We INCIndia walked out of the house demanding from the Speaker SpeakerSandhwan that an alcohol test of Cm BhagwantMann be conducted and we offered to undertake the test ourselves too."
"The conduct of AamAadmiParty Cm Bhagwant Mann had lowered the prestige of the august house of Vidhan Sabha. We INCPunjab Mla's urge ArvindKejriwal to take action against Cm for impropriety and that too by being drunk in the assembly-Khaira," the post read.
The session convened to pass a resolution marking Labour Day began on a calm note but soon turned tense. The situation escalated after Mann objected to Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira for using his mobile phone inside the House.
Mann emphasized the importance of maintaining decorum, stating that members are expected to follow proper conduct and that even sitting with crossed legs was inappropriate. Khaira responded by pointing out that Mann’s wife had previously been seen sitting with her legs crossed in the visitors’ gallery during an earlier session, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Reacting sharply, Mann said, “She corrected herself. She is not a member of the House. You even target my daughter. Ae bakwas karda (he talks nonsense), Speaker Sahib. He should be medically treated at the Assembly’s expense.”
The controversy comes at a politically sensitive time, with Punjab heading toward Assembly elections next year.
This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced against Mann. In 2022, opposition leaders had made similar claims about an incident on a flight, which the AAP had dismissed as baseless.
So far, there has been no official response from the Chief Minister or his party regarding the latest accusations.
English
