Chandigarh, Oct 17 Opposition leaders in Punjab slammed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s France visit, saying he left for a foreign tour at a time when the state was facing a grave drug crisis and the family of an anti-drug activist awaits justice.
Some of them also alleged that Mann was taking his wife along on the trip to celebrate his birthday. Mann turned 53 on Saturday.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday allowed the Punjab government’s plea challenging the Centre’s decision to deny political clearance for Mann for his visit to France.
The Punjab government moved the court, saying the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s decision was “arbitrary” and sought the decision to be quashed.
During the visit from October 15-21 to participate in SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition being held from October 17-21, Mann was to lead a delegation which would also comprise the chief secretary and the principal secretary to the chief minister.
“An Evening in Paris. Punjab suffers in turmoil and the grieving family of martyr Jhota still awaits justice,” Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
Known for raising his voice against the illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot in broad daylight inside a medical store at the a busy marketplace in Mansa on October 13.
Ashwani Kumar, the store owner who opened fire on Jhota after he questioned him for selling addictive drugs to an elderly man, was taken into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan.
Senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh alleged that Mann was going on a “family trip” to France to celebrate his birthday on the pretext of setting up a Markfed stall at a trade fair when Punjab is reeling under heavy financial crisis.
While government employees are crying for dearness allowance and gangsters are ruining the state, this “fun trip” of Bhagwant Mann is “making fun” of Punjab and its people, he alleged.
Targeting the AAP government over the drug menace, Chugh said,”
“At a time Punjab is burning in the fire of drug abuse, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is heading for France with his wife to celebrate his birthday instead of addressing the suffering of the people.”
“The chief minister’s conduct amid such a grave crisis raises serious questions about the government’s priorities and its sensitivity towards the people of Punjab,” he said in a statement.
“Punjab is gripped by fear and insecurity, yet the CM appears more concerned about his foreign trip than confronting this crisis, he said.
He alleged that a birthday celebration is being projected as an official government tour.
“What kind of official delegation includes the chief minister’s wife? What is the justification for her participation?” Chugh asked.
He said taxpayers’ money must not be used to finance private celebrations or family leisure trips. At a time when Punjab faces serious economic and administrative challenges, the use of public funds must be transparent and accountable.
Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu posted on X: “Paris Official Visit or Birthday Vacation?”
“Bhagwant Mann’s birthday trip to Paris — in whose name, and at whose expense,” he asked. “Punjab’s treasury is not a family holiday fund! Bhagwant Mann must disclose the purpose, expenses and official invitation,” Bittu said in a post on X.
(PTI News)
