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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta strongly criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over allegations that he appeared in an inebriated state during proceedings in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, calling the episode "disgraceful" and a matter of concern for the country.
Reacting to the controversy on Friday, Gupta said it was "disgraceful" for a state head to show up in an inebriated state and behave in such a manner inside the "temple of democracy." "Shame on you, it's disgraceful. In the temple of democracy, no state head should show up in an inebriated state and bring shame to the entire state. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been seen by the world hundreds of times inebriated at public events, but today it crossed all limits when the entire country saw his condition--how he was speaking in the assembly while intoxicated," she said. She further questioned how a leader accused of such conduct could address issues related to drug abuse in Punjab and targeted Arvind Kejriwal over the matter. "How can a person who lives in a drunken stupor save the people of his state from addiction? Does Arvind Kejriwal have any answer? They talk about addiction. Will he run the state with such people? What good will he do for Punjab with such people? Punjab is India's border state, and it's in such hands? The 2027 election will be the final nail in the coffin of their corrupt rule, hammered in by the people," Gupta added. Earlier on Friday, there was high drama in the Punjab Assembly with a heated confrontation breaking out between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Congress over a demand for an alcohol test on Mann. They claimed that Mann appeared to have come "drunk" to the Assembly. LoP in the Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa also criticised Mann for allegedly being drunk and called for an immediate dope test. "What should we even do coming to the Assembly where the Chief Minister is in an inebriated state? What is the purpose of holding a session when the head of the state is completely sozzled? We demand that everyone's test be conducted," he said. Responding to the accusations, Mann told ANI, "They have no issues to raise. What test should be done?" Meanwhile, the AAP won the confidence motion in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. AAP has a majority with 94 MLAs, while 16 MLAs belong to the Congress, one MLA is from the BSP, three MLAs are from SAD. There are two MLAs from BJP and one Independent MLA. The confidence vote comes in the backdrop of a political setback for AAP on April 24, when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha members, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Harbhajan Singh, resigned and joined the BJP. (ANI)
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