Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday blamed the BJP for the two blasts that took place in Jalandhar and Amritsar Tuesday, warning the party to stop its “antics”.
Speaking to media persons at Anandpur Sahib Wednesday morning, the chief minister said that after winning the West Bengal elections, the BJP had turned its attention to Punjab. “This is BJP’s style of working. Whichever state they are contesting elections in, first they will engineer a few riots, then there will be a few low intensity blasts and then they will make two communities fight with one another and divide people on the basis of religion and caste. These (bomb blasts) only show that BJP is gearing up for elections in Punjab,” said the CM.
He said that the blasts were “minor” and though investigations were going on, his government would ensure that peace is maintained at all costs. He said that Punjab had already borne the brunt of days of unrest and the BJP should not “play these games” in his state. “Punjab has always stood for India and Punjabis have been at the forefront of fighting for this nation,” he added.
Anandpur Sahib, Punjab: On blasts in Amritsar & Jalandhar, CM Bhagwant Mann says, "This is the style of the BJP’s work. In whatever state they have to fight elections, they first instigate riots, cause small-scale explosions, orchestrate some infighting, and divide people on the… pic.twitter.com/ouKF2xM4wG
— IANS (@ians_india) May 6, 2026
Mann’s comments on the blasts came as Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav was holding a press conference in Amritsar after visiting the site of the blast. He blamed the ISI in Pakistan for the blasts, adding that it was a part of their plans to destabilise Punjab.
“No particular outfit has taken responsibility for the blast. But this blast and the one in Jalandhar seem to be orchestrated by the ISI in Pakistan. Punjab is fighting a proxy battle on behalf of the country with Punjab bearing the brunt of their designs being a border state. None of the incidents that have taken place in the past few years have remained unsolved. To those trying to vitiate the atmosphere in Punjab, the message from our side is clear that we are neither scared nor ill prepared,” said the DGP.
“An FIR has been registered under the relevant sections of law. Investigation is being carried out in close coordination with the Army and other agencies. Multiple teams are working on this. They are investigating human intelligence, technical intelligence, and forensic inputs… We suspect that since the anniversary of Operation Sindoor is approaching, this is a part of Pakistan’s ISI designs to cause disruptions in Punjab…” added the DGP.
#WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: On incidents of explosion in Amritsar & Jalandhar, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav says, "Today I visited Amritsar. Yesterday, a low-intensity explosion took place in the army area. I visited that crime scene… A low-intensity explosion was reported from the… pic.twitter.com/zYFcN1aYH5
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2026
The comments of the chief minister and their inconsistency with the statement of the DGP has caused a political furore in the state. State BJP chief Sunil Jakhar issued a video statement seeking the resignation of the chief minister over his “irresponsible claims”.
“I am left with no doubt that the Chief Minister of Punjab is not fit to head the state. Last week he had come seemingly drunk to the Vidhan Sabha and today he has given a statement which has no basis. These incidents have been happening in Punjab for a long time. There have been grenade attacks, RPG attacks and blasts. While these incidents are worrisome, the fact that a person who is not capable of leading the state is in charge is even more worrisome,” said Jakhar.
He said that his party in Punjab was not going to ignore the CM’s comment and will escalate the matter. “The union home ministry has the right to change the chief minister but before we ask them to do that we will first approach Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal to change the chief minister of Punjab,” said Jakhar.
CM Bagwant Mann’s irresponsible statement regarding the bomb blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar only goes on to prove that "he is not fit to be the Chief Minister of Punjab". pic.twitter.com/Y5GgJ01Zwk
— Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) May 6, 2026
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on X that Mann had forfeited his right to be the chief minister.
“Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day. Continued intelligence failures and collapse of law & order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy in mimicry & cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office,” he wrote.
Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day — May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters & Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track.
Continued intelligence failures and collapse of law & order are a matter of grave concern.
Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who… pic.twitter.com/xe9Sr9vSlV
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) May 6, 2026
Congress state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said that in the past few years more than 30 such blasts have taken place across Punjab. “A new twist has been given by the chief minister today that it is the BJP who is behind such incidents. If this is true then why has the chief minister who already seems to have knowledge about it not taken any action against the BJP? However, I suspect that it is not just the home minister of Punjab but also the home minister of the country too who are responsible for the situation,” said Warring.
Chandigarh: On Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's statement over blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar, Punjab Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring says, "The thing is that in the last few days, there have been a total of 32 blasts. Many of these were dismissed as tires bursting and… pic.twitter.com/TVkQOKyqXw
— IANS (@ians_india) May 6, 2026
Leader of the Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa wrote on X: “Punjab’s CM, who is also Home Minister, says BJP is behind the blasts, while Punjab’s DGP says Pakistan’s ISI is responsible. If Bhagwant Mann has information that Punjab BJP leaders or workers are involved, then he should immediately disclose his sources, place the evidence before the people of Punjab, and register criminal cases against all those responsible. I dare Bhagwant Mann to act on his own allegations and register a case against the BJP instead of hiding behind politically convenient statements. Whom should the people of Punjab trust—the political leadership or the state’s top police officer?”
Punjab’s CM, who is also Home Minister, says BJP is behind the blasts, while Punjab’s DGP says Pakistan’s ISI is responsible.
If @BhagwantMann has information that @BJP4Punjab leaders or workers are involved, then he should immediately disclose his sources, place the evidence…
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) May 6, 2026
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha who recently shifted from AAP to BJP questioned Mann. “Is he under someone else’s influence? Did someone instruct him to issue a statement of this nature? Or has he consumed some substance?… However, this statement is extremely serious. It is, quite directly, a pro-Pakistan and anti-India statement. A democratically elected chief minister ought to refrain from making such statements; instead, he should assess the law and order situation in his state and focus his efforts on how to strengthen it, how to apprehend those behind this bomb blast, and how to bring this investigation to a logical conclusion…”
Delhi: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha says, "Why Bhagwant Mann is giving a clean chit to the ISI, only he can answer that. Is he under someone else's influence? Did someone instruct him to issue a statement of this nature? Or has he consumed some substance?… However, this… pic.twitter.com/YoxCisGUjB
— IANS (@ians_india) May 6, 2026
Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia said Punjab is being shaken less by the blasts and more by Bhagwant Mann’s lies. “Within a gap of five minutes, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed that the BJP was behind the blasts, while the temporary DGP stated that the ISI was responsible. First decide among yourselves—which lie are you trying to sell?” said Majithia.
🚨 “Punjab is being shaken less by the blasts and more by Bhagwant Mann’s lies!” 🚨
👉 Within a gap of five minutes, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed that the BJP was behind the blasts, while the temporary DGP stated that the ISI was responsible.
👉 First decide among… pic.twitter.com/v7TWlokuLc
— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) May 6, 2026
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: High drama in Punjab assembly: Mann slams Khaira over phone use, Oppn demands alcohol test on CM