Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann is in deep mire, literally.
Bogged down for his “live streaming” act of the Parliament’s security checks, the comedian-turned-politician got into more trouble on Tuesday after his fellow Parliamentarians urged the lok Sabha Speaker to send him to the rehabilitation centre for “drugs and alcohol de-addiction” at the House’s expenditure.
Three Members of Parliament, including one from his own party, has written a strong-worded letter against Mann highlighting his “audacity” of attending the House “under the influence of intoxicants or liquor”.
A letter, signed by BJP’s Mahesh Giri, SAD’s Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, and AAP’s Harinder Singh Khalsa, has urged the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow Mann to attend the lok Sabha proceedings “only after” undergoing rehab.
“We would be grateful that Bhagwant Mann be sent on a rehab centre for drugs or alcohol de-addiction by the lok Sabha on lok Sabha expenditure and it is only after that that he should be allowed to attend proceedings of lok Sabha,” they said in the letter.
The “letter bomb” came a day before the Parliament probe panel was to submit its report against Mann.
“It is a common knowledge in the Parliament that the said Member of Parliament continuously remains under the influence of intoxicants or liquor and does not attend Parliament proceedings without being intoxicated,” read the letter.
It underlined that not only other Members of Parliament, but also the “journalists and staff working in the Parliament House know this fact and it is the most talked topics”. Complaints have been received in this regard, it added.
The MPs maintained such conduct of Bhagwant Mann is quite “unbecoming of the Member of Parliament who is a chosen representative of the people and is considered as role model of his constituency”. This reflects very poorly and denigrates the seat of a member of this august House, they added. The letter came at a time when Mann was already facing inquiry for his “immature” act of posting on social media, Facebook, the live-streaming of his journey from his Delhi house to the Parliament House revealing all security details.
Currently, the Speaker had “advised” Mann against attending lok Sabha proceedings till a decision was taken on the inquiry panel’s report. Only recently, AAP’s MP from Fatehgarh Sahib Khalsa had created a flutter by “requesting” the Speaker to change his seat as he feel “like vomiting” from the “burst of stink” coming from “seat number 496”, that belongs to Mann.
Under suspension since August 2015 from AAP, Khalsa had accused Mann of coming “drunk” to the Parliament every day.
Defending, Mann had then accused Khalsa of “playing politics” for demeaning the party as well him. Rubbishing Khalsa’s allegations, Mann had maintained that he would also complain against him to the Speaker for action against Khalsa as he had no right to defame an MP without proofs.
AAP, in August 2015, had placed Khalsa and his Patiala counterpart Dr Dharamvira Gandhi under suspension for “anti-party activities:” after they held a parallel rally in Amritsar.
Not long ago, Punjab Congress chief and Amritsar MP had also stoked a controversy by saying that AAP’s Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann came to Parliament drunk.
That was not for the first time that Mann was slammed for his alleged alcohol addiction. Expelled AAP leader Yogendra Yadav had also claimed that Mann was an alcoholic and had entered a lok Sabha Session while he was drunk.
“I discovered it first in July 2014 when AAP had a meeting of all its lok Sabha candidates. Mann was sitting next to me and was smelling of alcohol,” Yadav had then said.
Seen as a strong contender in 2017 Punjab Assembly elections, AAP is, at present, embroiled in multiple cases filed against more than a dozen of its legislators — ranging from criminal intimidation, hurting religious sentiments, and molestation to rioting and faking educational qualification.