Chandigarh, July 26 — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday lashed out at former CM Amarinder Singh for criticising the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, accusing him of being “double-faced” on the issue of drug abuse and turning a blind eye to the crisis during his own tenure.
Responding sharply to Singh’s remarks calling the arrest “targeted harassment” and “political persecution,” Mann took to social media to mount a counterattack. “Captain Sahib, today you are concerned about the human rights of drug smugglers. When people’s sons were dying in agony during your and your nephew’s rule, you were busy attending social gatherings,” Mann posted on X.
“Now Punjab has realised how double-faced you all are, though, unfortunately, it comes after much loss. The BJP will now dismiss your statement as a personal view,” he added, referencing Singh’s alliance with the BJP.
The exchange comes a day after Amarinder Singh, in a Facebook post, accused the AAP-led state government of undermining democratic values. “Punjab has never seen such a blatant assault on democracy where critics of their misrule and corruption are being house-arrested, falsely charged, and silenced,” Singh alleged.
He called Majithia’s arrest part of an “inhuman political vendetta” and claimed mass protests were being crushed and dissent “muzzled.” Singh, who broke away from the Congress in 2021 and merged his own party with the BJP the following year, also claimed that Punjab was being “remotely controlled from Delhi like a mafia operation.”
Majithia, a senior Akali leader and former minister, was arrested last month by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on charges of accumulating disproportionate assets and laundering Rs 540 crore allegedly linked to drug proceeds. He is currently in judicial custody until August 2.
Mann also reminded the public of Amarinder Singh’s unfulfilled 2017 campaign promise to eliminate the drug menace in Punjab within four weeks of taking office. “You made promises you never intended to keep, and now you’re questioning accountability,” Mann said.
The sharp political sparring reflects the renewed tensions between Punjab’s ruling party and its former power centres, as the issue of drug trafficking continues to dominate the state’s political discourse ahead of next year’s assembly elections.
