CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal’s Youth Wing President, Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjer, today slammed the AAP government, stating that the deliberate sidelining of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the ongoing Punjab Vidhan Sabha session proves that he is no longer in control.
Jhinjer said that after much delay and hesitation, the AAP government finally called a Vidhan Sabha session, only to restrict it to a mere two days. However, the real takeaway was AAP’s high command sending a clear message—Bhagwant Mann has been pushed aside, and Aman Arora has been promoted to take charge of proceedings in the House. "It seems Arora is being positioned as the next Chief Minister, sidelining Mann under Kejriwal’s directions, " he said.
Taking a dig at Bhagwant Mann’s absence, Jhinjer remarked, "The always TRP-hungry Chief Minister, who never misses an opportunity to be in front of cameras, was ordered to stay away from the session. This was done to prevent further humiliation for AAP due to his disgraceful behavior in the House."
Expressing concern over the shrinking democratic space in Punjab, Jhinjer said, "The first day of the session lasted a mere four hours, and shockingly, the Chief Minister didn’t even show his face. This confirms that Punjab’s governance is being dictated from Delhi, reducing Mann to nothing more than a puppet CM."
Jhinjer also condemned AAP’s attack on press freedom, stating, "Not only has AAP weakened Punjab’s democracy, but it is now silencing the media as well. On orders from Delhi, Speaker Kultar Sandhwan denied press access to independent news channel ABC Punjabi, proving that AAP fears real journalism and wants to control the narrative by muzzling the free press."