Chandigarh, May 1
High drama engulfed the Punjab Assembly on Friday as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Congress clashed in a stormy confrontation over demands for an alcohol test on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The uproar began soon after the House reconvened post lunch, when Congress MLAs stormed the well, insisting that the Chief Minister submit to a breath analyser test. AAP legislators retaliated with counter slogans, plunging the session into chaos and forcing the Speaker to adjourn proceedings amid complete disruption.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa had already set the tone earlier in the day, writing to the Speaker to raise concerns about the Chief Minister’s conduct. In his letter, Bajwa described an unspecified incident as deeply troubling and warned that ignoring it could erode public trust in the Assembly. The Speaker, however, rejected the opposition’s demand for immediate alcohol or dope tests of the Chief Minister and other MLAs during the special session.
The controversy escalated further when Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira flagged the issue on the floor, alleging that the Chief Minister had left without responding to the accusations. Bajwa then upped the ante, demanding a comprehensive dope test of all legislators without exception.
AAP leaders dismissed the charges outright, branding them baseless and frivolous attempts by the Congress to derail proceedings and tarnish the dignity of the House. But the storm refused to settle. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) entered the fray, with state chief Sunil Jakhar backing the demand for breath analyser tests for all MLAs. He argued that stepping into the Assembly under the influence would be a grave insult to democratic institutions and the Constitution itself.
The standoff underscored the rising political temperature in Punjab, with both sides trading sharp accusations as the special Labour Day session descended into repeated disruptions.
The drama intensified when the Opposition accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of attending the House in an inebriated state. A Congress MLA alleged that the Chief Minister had arrived under the influence of alcohol, prompting Bajwa to demand that all doors be closed and every legislator undergo an alcohol meter test. “Since serious allegations have been levelled against the head of the state, every MLA should be tested to establish the truth,” Bajwa declared.
The Shiromani Akali Dal joined the chorus, launching a blistering attack on the Chief Minister. The party circulated videos from inside the Assembly on social media, levelling serious accusations and condemning Mann’s alleged conduct as very shameful. It demanded that the Chief Minister undergo a public dope test to settle the matter before the people of Punjab.
With Congress, Akali Dal and BJP pressing hard, and AAP standing firm in its defence, the Assembly turned into a theatre of confrontation. What began as a routine Labour Day session spiralled into a full blown political slugfest, exposing deepening fault lines and leaving Punjab’s political landscape more fractured than ever.
