CHANDIGARH – Speaking on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched a sharp attack against the BJP-led Central government, alleging that state agencies are being weaponized for political retaliation against opposition leaders.
CM Mann disclosed that after being initially denied permission for an official trip to France to promote state trade at a major food fair, he secured diplomatic clearance following High Court intervention. However, upon his return, he was allegedly detained for two hours by customs authorities at Delhi Airport.
According to the Chief Minister, airport officials thoroughly inspected his belongings and found nothing objectionable. Despite this, he was asked to pay a ₹50,000 “challan” after personnel reportedly cited “pressure from above” and fears over their employment status. CM Mann directly linked the incident to administrative bias, highlighting that the airport customs chief is the brother of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He further criticized the central government’s heavy-handed tactics elsewhere, including the controversial imposition of the National Security Act (NSA) against student protesters.
