Chandigarh, June 24
Punjab politics has reached boiling point today as the opposition mounted a united offensive against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, demanding his immediate resignation over the viral video controversy and alleged attempts to forge forensic evidence. The Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP have all sharpened their attacks, turning social media into a battlefield of condemnation.
Congress leaders led the charge, with Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring tweeting that the episode was “sad and shameful” and accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of “stooping to purchasing fabricated reports.” He warned that the Sikh community would not forgive such actions and insisted that Mann had lost the moral authority to continue as Chief Minister. Senior Congress voices amplified the demand, stressing that the Akal Takht’s censure branding Mann “Guru Dokhi” and “Panth Virodhi” left no room for political maneuvering.
The Shiromani Akali Dal was equally scathing. Party leaders tweeted that Mann’s actions amounted to sacrilege and betrayal of Sikh faith, accusing AAP of manipulating religious sentiments for political survival. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that Chief Minister had “shamed Punjab” and must step down immediately, framing the controversy as not just a political scandal but a spiritual affront. Their messaging has sought to rally Sikh voters by portraying Mann as unfit to hold office after the Akal Takht’s edict.
The BJP leaders have further escalated the matter while demanding a CBI probe. In a series of tweets, BJP leaders accused AAP of running a “dirty campaign” and attempting to mislead the Sikh community with forged forensic reports. They highlighted the Gurugram Police FIR naming Punjab Police officers in a ₹10 lakh forgery plot and the arrests of two cyber experts as proof of a cover-up. BJP leaders declared that Mann had “lost all credibility” and must face the law, warning that AAP’s attempt to manufacture evidence was a greater crime than the video itself. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon has even demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
Mann, however, has continued to dismiss the allegations, insisting in his own statement that “all the videos are fake” and describing the campaign against him as politically motivated. He accused rivals of exploiting religion for electoral gains and urged people to judge him by his governance record in education and healthcare. Yet the opposition’s coordinated social media blitz has ensured that the narrative remains firmly against him, with hashtags demanding his resignation trending across Punjab.
The controversy has now moved beyond the authenticity of the video to the larger question of whether AAP attempted to forge evidence to shield its leader. With the Akal Takht’s censure already in place and opposition parties united in their demand, Mann faces a crisis that threatens not only his personal credibility but also AAP’s claim of clean governance. Less than a year before the 2027 Assembly elections, the scandal has become a decisive test of political survival.
Today’s developments, marked by a flood of opposition tweets demanding resignation and accountability, underline that the Bhagwant Mann video controversy is no longer just a matter of religious sentiment but a full-blown political and ethical battle. The opposition has made it clear: Mann must go, and AAP must answer.
