Chandigarh, June 17: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday categorically rejected a controversial video being circulated online, stating firmly that he is not the person featured in the clip. The Chief Minister described the video as part of a malicious, politically motivated conspiracy designed to defame him and derail his administration’s public welfare decisions. He asserted that the smear campaign is being executed to serve the interests of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, who remains rattled by the state’s strict stance on critical regional issues.
The administrative head stated that the appearance and physical build of the individual in the recording do not match his own. Despite having already clarified the situation directly to the religious leadership, misleading propaganda continues to be pushed through specific channels. Vested interests have intensified their push against the administration following the recent enactment of stringent state laws addressing beadbi (sacrilege).
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann declared that religious institutions are unfortunately being utilized to settle political scores. “The video does not belong to me and I had already clarified this before the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” the Chief Minister stated. “It had been claimed that the video belonged to him and was not AI-generated. However, when I was summoned, I made it clear before the Jathedar Sahib that the person shown in the video is not me.”
The timing of the disinformation campaign coincides with major state policies aimed at protecting Punjab’s waters, securing agriculture, and expanding youth employment. The Chief Minister maintained that certain political masters are influencing administrative bodies to issue directives against him, while simultaneously ignoring past figures who openly admitted to sacrilege-related matters and later retracted their statements.
The Chief Minister asserted his deep, lifelong respect for traditional temporal institutions, emphasizing that his family would never dream of disrespecting sacred authority. “Neither the physical build nor the appearance of the person shown in the video matches me, yet false and misleading propaganda is being spread to damage my reputation,” the Chief Minister affirmed. “I am surprised that people occupying such high religious positions are allowing themselves to become instruments of political agendas and false propaganda.”
The state leadership has urged global Punjabi communities and the local public not to fall prey to calculated digital manipulation. The administration stated that it will remain focused on passing long-overdue legislations and protecting public interest, leaving the ultimate verdict of integrity to the citizens of the state.
