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Union Minister Calls Bhagwant Mann "ISI Agent", AAP Hits Back

"Mann does not need your certificate," said an AAP leader.

Union Minister Calls Bhagwant Mann "ISI Agent", AAP Hits Back
The clash comes as Chief Minister Mann has stepped up his attacks on PM Modi.
Chandigarh:

Punjab is at the centre of a fresh political firestorm after Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of being an "ISI agent" who is trying to endanger India and disrupt the Prime Minister's work.

The remark came after Mann criticised PM Narendra Modi for going on a foreign tour during the Middle East crisis. Bittu asked citizens to "keep an eye" on the chief minister.

AAP leader Baltej Singh Pannu hit back sharply, saying, "Ravneet Bittu, who called Bhagwant Mann an ISI agent, should first tell us who was behind the Pulwama, Pathankot, Pahalgam, and Delhi bomb attacks, and what happened to those investigations. Mann does not need your certificate."

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring called it one of the gravest charges that can be made against a constitutional office-holder. He questioned why Mann still attended meetings with Union Ministers and coordinated with the Centre if the allegation had merit. "If there is evidence, why has the Home Ministry not filed an FIR or started an investigation... Are these serious security concerns or just political statements made for headlines and TRPs?" Warring asked.

The clash comes as Chief Minister Mann has stepped up his attacks on PM Modi. After six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs joined the BJP in late April, Mann targeted the PM's overseas visits. Speaking at events, he contrasted PM Modi's appeals to citizens to save fuel, conserve foreign reserves, avoid gold purchases, and postpone foreign travel with the Prime Minister's own international tours.

Mann also slammed the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices, calling it an "unannounced lockdown" on the public.

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