The political battleground in Punjab is witnessing a fierce verbal duel between Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and state BJP president Sunil Jakhar as they trade barbs over the rejection of Punjab’s tableau for the Republic Day parade by the Central Government.
The spark that ignited this war of words was Jakhar's accusation that the Chief Minister had propagated “white lies” regarding the rejection of Punjab's tableau. Mann, in a swift response, accused Jakhar of playing with people’s sentiments and emotions by spreading false information. The issue escalated further as Jakhar dug into his arsenal, sharing an old video of the Chief Minister in an attempt to divert the narrative.
Chief Minister Mann, reiterating the State Government's stance that the Modi Government rejected Punjab's tableau due to its anti-Punjab sentiments, accused Jakhar of trying to score political points by justifying the Union Government's decision with “baseless” claims. Mann categorically stated that the Ministry of Defence, in a clear statement, confirmed the absence of any pictures in the tableau, “exposing Jakhar's lies”.
The Chief Minister highlighted the purpose of the tableaus, emphasizing their design to showcase Punjab's rich cultural heritage and the tradition of sacrifice and martyrdom during the Republic Day Parade. He launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Union Government, accusing it of demeaning the monumental sacrifices made by Punjabis in the national freedom struggle.
Mann condemned the BJP's tactics, describing them as an attempt to humiliate Punjab, adding that martyrdom and sacrifices are integral parts of the state's glorious heritage that should be duly highlighted in the tableaus.
Expressing disappointment, Mann lamented that the Union government's rejection insulted the sacrifices made by great patriots and national leaders.
Criticizing the newly-transformed ‘Bhakts’, including Jakhar, for blindly justifying the arbitrary moves of the Modi government at the expense of the state's interests, Mann termed it shameful that leaders like Jakhar, despite their Punjab roots, colluded with their high command to demean the state's contributions for political gains.
In a direct jab at Jakhar, Mann remarked that the state BJP chief is yet to master the art of lying according to the whims and fancies of his masters. He pointed out Jakhar's recent induction into the BJP, suggesting that he is still adapting to reading scripts prepared by the high command. Mann expressed his dismay at the BJP leadership's actions, accusing them of humiliating the state, with leaders like Jakhar singing praises to their high command.
Responding to Mann's accusations, Jakhar took to his social media account to share an old video of the Chief Minister. In the video, Mann is seen narrating an incident where he allegedly upgraded from economy class to business class by lying about his identity on a flight. Jakhar captioned the post, urging people to listen to Mann's own words about how he deceives them.
Jakhar, in a separate statement, asserted that Mann should refrain from playing with people’s emotions by invoking the names of martyrs.
