Bhagwant Mann Should Not Become Anyone’s Remote Control: Rahul Gandhi Calls Out Punjab CM for Running State Remotely

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Punjab, called out the state’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said Punjab should be run from Punjab and not from Delhi. The CM has been accused of following the decisions made by Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

As part of his Bharat Jogo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi is in Punjab for this leg before he moves up to Jammu and Kashmir. While addressing a gathering in the state, the Congress leader stated that Punjab’s CM Bhagwant Mann should run his state from Punjab and not take directions from Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister.

“I want to ask Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that you are the chief minister of Punjab, Punjab should be run from Punjab only. Bhagwant Mann should not come under pressure of (Arvind) Kejriwal ji and Delhi. You should work independently and should not be under the remote control of anyone,” he said.

The opposing parties have alleged that all major decisions for the state of Punjab are being taken by Kejriwal and that Punjab’s CM is just following along. During the address, Rahul Gandhi also called out BJP government for the current situation of unemployment and inflation.

Rahul Gandhi has covered the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana leg of his Bharat Jogo Yatra and is currently in Punjab before he moves on to Jammu and Kashmir. Before the Yatra entered Punjab, there were security concerns raised by Congress leader KC Venugopal and in response, the Punjab Police DGP assured foolproof security for the yatris in the state. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Raja Warring also visited multiple cities in the state before the yatra commenced to have a discussion with local workers.

Congress party lost the state of Punjab to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) early last year which makes it more crucial for the party. There was quite a bit of chaos between then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Rahul Gandhi’s attempts to settle things down failed as well.

Vineet Washington