- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann denied allegations of attending assembly sessions drunk
- He said political opponents have repeated this claim for 14 years without proof
- Mann called the accusations character assassination and baseless political mudslinging
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann dismissed long-standing allegations that he attends assembly sessions in a "drunk" state, saying his political opponents have repeated the claim for 14 years without any other issues to raise against him. The remarks came during an interview at the NDTV Nava Punjab Summit in Chandigarh.
"They simply have no other issues or talking points left against me, so what else will they accuse me of? I have been in active politics for 14 years now-I joined in 2012, contested an election then, and won my first parliamentary seat in 2014. For the past 14 years, they have been parroting the exact same line: that Bhagwant Mann drinks day and night," the Punjab Chief Minister told NDTV's CEO and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal.
"Let me ask you: if you have any friend, acquaintance, or relative who has been drinking heavily day and night for 14 consecutive years, are they still alive today? Please tell me if anyone can survive that. What do they think-that I have had a liver made of solid iron installed?" he asked.
Mann described the claims as character assassination, arguing that his opponents had nothing substantial with which to challenge him. He pointed to similar accusations made against others, including claims that Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal consumes opium and is called "Sukhmali" because of it. He suggested Badal should clarify that claim first.
"Their strategy is simple: throw mud at someone, because it costs nothing to make a random accusation, and then let the other person spend all their time offering clarifications. By that logic, anyone can say anything. Someone could claim that an opponent takes drugs. People openly claim Sukhbir Badal consumes opium; they even call him 'Sukhmali' because of it. Let him clarify that first. These people often make completely bizarre and senseless statements," Mann told NDTV.
Mann also recalled an occasion when Badal referred to his father as being "like a father" to him, prompting the father to publicly correct him.
"Sukhbir Badal once referred to his own father as being 'like a father' to him. His father eventually had to publicly correct him and say, 'I am not like your father, I am your father!' Then there is the Congress president who continuously babbles incomprehensible numbers. He tries to steer the conversation toward some math that no one understands, and frankly, I have no idea what substances these people consume," Mann said.
In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party received what he described as a historic mandate, winning 92 out of 117 seats -- an overwhelming majority never previously achieved by any political party in the state.
"Why on earth should I undergo a test just because they demanded it?" he asked. "This mudslinging is not a real issue for the people of Punjab. The true test of political standing will happen on the ground. If the public ever tells me, 'Bhagwant Mann, we will not vote for you because you are unfit to govern Punjab,' then the reality will be clear for everyone to see. The 2027 elections are coming up, and everything will become crystal clear when the results are announced."
The summit took place at a politically charged time for Punjab. Last month, Raghav Chadha announced his entry into the BJP, which represented a significant blow to the AAP's strength in the Upper House. Seven of the AAP's 10 MPs -- two-thirds of its strength there -- merged with the BJP.
