Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s overseas travel has triggered a fresh confrontation with the Union Government, with the AAP leader alleging that after being denied clearance for his France visit and securing permission from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he was subjected to nearly two hours of questioning by Customs officials at Delhi airport and fined Rs 50,000 on his return.
Mann has linked the action to the AAP’s campaign against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the CEC’s brother, Manish Kumar, heads the Delhi Customs Zone and that the airport episode was an act of retaliation.
“Whenever they get an opportunity, they take revenge,” Mann said on Friday, alleging that officials were under pressure from above to issue the challan despite finding nothing objectionable in his luggage.
Mann’s visit to Paris from October 17 to 21 was intended to promote Punjab’s agricultural and food-processing products at the SIAL international food exhibition.
The trip became contentious after the Union Government denied him political clearance, citing security concerns. The Punjab Government challenged the decision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, arguing that the visit served the State’s commercial and agricultural interests. The court allowed Mann to travel on October 16.
The controversy resurfaced after he returned on October 20, when, according to Mann, Customs officials asked him to step aside while they checked his baggage.
He said the inspection yielded nothing and that officers initially let him leave, then returned to say they faced considerable pressure from above and had to issue a fine.
“They kept saying they wanted to check my luggage. They could not find anything,” Mann said, adding that he accepted the penalty after officials cited pressure and the consequences for their jobs.
The AAP claimed Mann was held for around three hours, while his own account put the wait at about two hours. The party also alleged that officials issued the fine as his luggage was about to be loaded into his vehicle.
The controversy has drawn competing explanations. Leader of the Opposition and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa claimed Mann had brought eight to 10 bottles, exceeding the two-bottle allowance he cited, and maintained that the law applied equally to everyone. BJP social media accounts also circulated claims about expensive accessories allegedly found in the luggage.
Mann’s allegations have widened the political dispute, with the CM connecting the Customs action to the AAP’s demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The CM also said Pakistani Punjabi poet Baba Bashir Husain Najmi invited him to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27. Mann said he was willing to participate if permitted, but questioned whether he would receive clearance after the dispute over his France visit.
“I told him, I am not being allowed to go towards France; how will they let me go to Pakistan?” he said.
Mann added that Punjabi writers and poets from India were expected to attend the conference. His participation remains uncertain, as permission for the proposed visit has yet to be granted.