CHANDIGARH-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu on Thursday tore into the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), pointing out its leaders are orchestrating a politically motivated campaign to malign Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and his family while deliberately hiding their own political and personal associations.
AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said the allegations being circulated against the Chief Minister and his family are based on unverified material and that neither the alleged audio recordings nor the claims surrounding them had been independently established. “Punjab knows this politics very well. Character assassination has become their only political weapon because they have no answer to the work being done by the Bhagwant Mann government, ” he added.
Taking direct aim at the Akali leadership, he questioned why leaders who claimed to know the individuals at the centre of the controversy so well were now approaching the Governor instead of first answering questions about their own associations. “If you know these people so well, then why this entire drama of going to the Governor? Why not first answer the questions about your own associations?” he asked.
Pannu Puts Photographs Before Media
Baltej Pannu presented a series of photographs before the media and said they exposed the political connections of people whose names were being used in the ongoing controversy.
He showed photographs of Amardeep Grewal with BJP leaders, including J.P. Nadda, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Ravneet Singh Bittu, and questioned the political proximity of the same individual with senior BJP leaders.
Baltej Pannu also showed multiple photographs of Guri Chahal with Sukhbir Singh Badal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, including photographs from family and social functions. He further referred to photographs of Hundal with Akali leaders, arguing that these were not images of political strangers but of people who had enjoyed proximity to the Akali leadership. “These photographs are important because the same political ecosystem is now being presented as a source of allegations against the Mann family. The people of Punjab should see these photographs and decide for themselves who is politically connected to whom, ” Baltej Pannu said.
Majithia Must Answer Questions On Satta-Pindi And His Wealth
Baltej Pannu directly questioned Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia over allegations concerning his association with Satta and Pindi, asking him to explain the relationship these individuals had with him and the Akali leadership and in what capacity they had access to their homes and political circles. “What relationship did these individuals have with you and the Akali leadership? In what capacity did they have access to your homes and political circles? Instead of pointing fingers at others, you should first answer these questions about your own associations, ” he said.
Questioning Bikram Singh Majithia’s dramatic rise in wealth, Baltej Pannu said, “When you came to Punjab, you had a broken Qualis. How did you become so wealthy within a few years? How did your business empire expand so dramatically? Where did this money come from?”
He said the Akali leadership could not evade questions about its own political associations simply by pointing fingers at others.
Punjab Has Not Forgotten 2007-17 Jungle Raj
Baltej Pannu said, “The people of Punjab have not forgotten the 2007 to 2017 Jungle Raj. When questions were raised against those in power at that time, the Akali leadership did not respond with the urgency that it is demanding from others today.”
Baltej Pannu also attacked the previous regime over the drug crisis, saying that individuals associated with the drug trade had enjoyed political proximity with Akali leaders. “The people who brought the drug menace to a level where an entire generation suffered are today standing in front of the people and asking questions, ” he said.
Baltej Pannu said the opposition had no answers to the transformation carried out by the Bhagwant Mann government and was therefore attempting to shift the political debate towards personal attacks.
He highlighted free electricity up to 600 units per household, the expansion of canal irrigation and the ₹10 lakh cashless healthcare scheme as examples of the government’s people-centric work. “The opposition should instead answer why Punjab’s government schools, hospitals and public transport were allowed to deteriorate during their tenure. The people of Punjab can clearly compare the condition of public services before 2022 with the changes made under the Mann government, ” Baltej Pannu said.
He particularly pointed to the expansion of canal irrigation and said that the Mann government had substantially increased the use of canal water from 21% to 80%. “Those who previously claimed to be ‘Punjab de Pania de Rakhe’ should explain where Punjab’s water was going during their governments. Today, canal irrigation has expanded substantially and the people can see the difference, ” he said.
Baltej Pannu also cited improvements in public transport and the transformation of government schools and hospitals, saying that the people of Punjab could clearly see the changes made under the Bhagwant Mann government.
No Amount Of Character Assassination Can Hide Bhagwant Mann Govt's Work
Baltej Pannu said the opposition could not erase its own record by repeatedly targeting the Chief Minister and his family. “The people of Punjab know who these people are, they can see whom they are standing with, and they can also see who is working for Punjab. No amount of character assassination can hide the work of the Bhagwant Mann government, ” he said.
Baltej Pannu urged, “Show these photographs to the people. Let Punjab see these associations for itself instead of being fed a one-sided political narrative. The AAP government will not be distracted by personal attacks and will continue to focus on development, public welfare and delivering services to the people of Punjab.”