Chandigarh: Having been under treatment, though briefly, at a hospital in New Delhi, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann is back at the helm of affairs. But remarks from his political adversaries and the unusual silence of state AAP leaders over circumstances that led to his hospital admission only underline the stark fall in Punjab’s political discourse.
On Tuesday, Mann had a fall at the Chandigarh airport after deboarding a state government-chartered plane, reportedly injuring himself. He then went to his official residence where he continued to feel uneasy and was advised to visit a hospital. It was decided that he would go for a check-up to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi and the same plane that had brought him to Chandigarh flew him back to the national capital.
Mann had gone to Delhi Sunday to be part of a welcome programme for AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal after he was released from prison on bail in the Delhi liquor scam case. Kejriwal subsequently gave up his post as chief minister of Delhi to senior leader Atishi.
Within hours of news breaking about the chief minister’s fall at the airport, several opposition leaders in Punjab took to social media to ridicule him about his “drinking habits”, while some criticised him for rushing to a private hospital in Delhi, having no faith in the health facilities provided by hospitals run by his own government.
No politician in the state expressed concern for Mann who remained hospitalised for at least a day. AAP leaders too did not bother to defend him against the volley of derisive comments from the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Further, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) maintained a stoic silence on the matter. When pestered for information, a staff member from the CMO shared pictures of Mann meeting a delegation of businessmen Thursday, in an attempt to project that all was well.
But all is clearly not well. Political analysts ThePrint spoke to said developments over the past week mark a new low in Punjab’s political discourse. They also point out that the silence of Mann’s party colleagues on attacks against him was deafening, especially when the air in Punjab is rife with rumours about the possibility of Mann being shown the door.
According to Harjeshwar Singh, professor of history at SGGS College Sector 26, Chandigarh, Mann is responsible for “making below-the-belt politics the norm in Punjab”.
“He (Mann) has always attacked opposition leaders viciously, levelling unsubstantiated allegations, and when they get an opportunity to get back at him, they do it without any forgiveness. It borders on hatred,” said Singh.
Asked about the silence of AAP leaders, he added, “No one is really sure why he fell at the airport but if it is alcohol-related, then obviously nobody will come to his defence. In which case, the party too needs to take it seriously.”
Speaking to ThePrint Friday, professor Nirmal Singh of the department of political science at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, said that among politicians in Punjab, “the use of crude language probably began with former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, when he said that he would put mice in the pyjamas of the Akalis and make them run”.
“Politicians are a product of the society they live in. And they reflect that. It is akin to how children deal with their parents or students with their teachers,” he added.
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Oppn attacks against Mann
Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira was the first to ask if the chief minister’s fall was related to alcohol consumption. “My best wishes for the speedy recovery of @BhagwantMann! I hope not alcohol related?” he posted on X Tuesday.
A day later, Khaira criticised Mann for choosing a private hospital in Delhi for treatment rather than having faith in AAP’s mohalla clinics that the CM has been publicising.
Dear @BhagwantMann if America is considering to adopt @AamAadmiParty Mohalla-Clinic Model then why have you opted for treatment in commercial Apollo Hospital of Delhi?
It means you yourself have no faith in the so called Delhi-Model or Punjab-Model of healthcare ! @INCIndia… pic.twitter.com/4XI0QGCchE
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) September 18, 2024
Khaira, a Congress leader who was in the AAP for a few years, has been a vociferous critic of Mann and the party. He was arrested by the Mann government last year in a 2015 drug case. The firebrand leader regularly posts on X messages about AAP leaders, including the CM and his cabinet colleagues. Mann often refers to him as an “aira gaira nathu khaira” (roughly translating to ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’) in a dig at Khaira’s name.
Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, while wishing the CM an early recovery, said Mann had been grappling with multiple health issues, “including those affecting vital organs like the liver”, due to which Punjab’s health “deteriorated beyond repair under his leadership”.
Wishing CM @BhagwantMann a swift recovery after his health scare while returning from Delhi. As he grapples with recurring health issues, including those affecting vital organs like the liver, it’s a stark reminder that while his personal health is crucial, Punjab’s health has… pic.twitter.com/ET4r5WynbG
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) September 18, 2024
He too slammed Mann for choosing to go to a Delhi hospital rather than a mohalla clinic in Punjab. “The hypocrisy is staggering. It’s clear now that these so-called ‘champions of the common man’ have been misleading the public with their tall claims. The reality is far from the picture they’ve painted. AAP’s promises are nothing more than political theatrics, and the people of Punjab and Delhi deserve better,” Bajwa wrote on X.
Bajwa too has been at the receiving end of multiple personal attacks from Mann.
During an assembly session earlier this year, Mann referred to Bajwa’s father as a “smuggler”, even going to the extent of alleging that the shawl Bajwa was wearing was bought using proceeds of corruption.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia too had a field day posting about the CM’s fall at the airport, alleging that Mann was inebriated and even appeared on a TV show in that condition.
Punjab chief minister @BhagwantMann embarrasses Punjab yet again.
👉Inebriated takes charted flight from delhi to Chandigarh in the afternoon today.
👉Upon landing falls flat on the tarmac.
👉Sources tell that he has suffered injuries.
👉His blood pressure is out of control.… https://t.co/Hu5pjudy4G— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) September 17, 2024
Majithia again spoke about Mann at a press conference Wednesday.
“According to my information, Mann was drinking during the flight from Delhi which incidentally is not allowed and is illegal. When he landed in Chandigarh and got off the plane, he fell down on the tarmac. He came home but his blood pressure was up and it was decided to take him to a Delhi hospital. If the matter was not so serious, why did the CM not go to the Aam Aadmi Party clinic?” asked Majithia, alleging that the CM was so fond of alcohol that he even consumed it in his official car while on the move.
Majithia has been summoned multiple times in a 2021 drugs case by a team of the Punjab Police. He has often alleged that he is being specially targeted for being critical of the working of the AAP.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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