Chandigarh, May 20
Punjab politics witnessed a major escalation on Tuesday after Union Minister of State for Railways and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu sparked controversy by allegedly branding Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann an “ISI agent”, setting off a political storm across the state.
Bittu’s alleged remark, made during a political interaction earlier in the day, immediately triggered outrage from opposition parties and intensified the already bitter confrontation between the BJP and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab.
The statement quickly went viral on social media, with political leaders accusing the BJP leader of crossing the line of acceptable democratic discourse by invoking Pakistan’s intelligence agency in an attack on a sitting Chief Minister.
While AAP leaders condemned the statement as “irresponsible” and “anti-Punjab”, the Congress also entered the political battle, questioning the intent and seriousness behind Bittu’s allegation.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring challenged Bittu to back his statement with action if he genuinely possessed such information.
“When you know Mann is an ISI agent, why not take action?” Warring asked in a strongly worded statement issued in Chandigarh.
Even the regional political parties reacted to the statement. RJD MP Manoj Jha said, “Now he is a Union Minister, what can I even comment? You are a Cabinet Minister, such an irresponsible statement? If you have evidence, then meet the Home Minister, Defence Minister or the Prime Minister. Giving media bytes to demonise your opponents, where are we taking politics, If I criticise the government, I am called anti-national or a Pakistan agent. How many people will you call Pakistan agents? We have worked together, so I request you to avoid making such remarks.”
Meanwhile, AAP leaders strongly defended Chief Minister Mann and accused Bittu of insulting the democratic mandate of Punjab. Several party functionaries described the remark as “reckless” and “deeply offensive”, arguing that casually branding an elected Chief Minister an ISI agent damages Punjab’s image nationally.
Political observers believe the controversy could deepen political polarisation in Punjab, where BJP and AAP have increasingly targeted each other over law and order, drugs, border security and Centre-state relations.
As the controversy snowballed through the day, neither side appeared willing to soften its stand, indicating that the latest political flashpoint is likely to dominate Punjab’s political narrative in the coming days.
