Chandigarh, Jul 2 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday left for Bengaluru for a four-day ‘vipassana’ meditation session at a private wellness centre, party sources said.
Mann’s visit to Bengaluru came amid a relentless attack on him by opposition parties over a controversial video clip after he was declared ‘Guru Dokhi’ (anti-Guru) by the Akal Takht.
Mann is likely to be back by Monday, the sources said.
The Akal Takht edict came after Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj claimed that the video — purportedly showing a man resembling Mann — was found to be “authentic” by two forensic laboratories.
It is not the first time Mann visited Bengaluru for such a programme. In February this year, he visited a private nature care centre in Bengaluru for a naturopathy programme.
On Wednesday, Mann rolled out his government’s monthly financial assistance scheme for women, Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojna in Dhuri, stating that the AAP fulfilled its final poll “guarantee” made ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon sharply criticized CM Mann over his visit to Bengaluru, stating that while Punjab is battling the threat of floods, an economic crisis, farmers’ hardships, and “growing public anger”, he left for Bengaluru for vipassana.
He alleged that leaving Punjab to fend for itself during such a critical time exposes the government’s “misplaced priorities”.
In a statement, Dhillon said that flood-like conditions have emerged in several parts of the state, with canals and distributaries breaching at multiple locations.
“Farmers are not receiving adequate electricity for paddy cultivation, the state is being pushed deeper into debt, government employees are staging protests, and women have been subjected to a massive betrayal,” he claimed.
Dhillon also alleged that Punjab’s interests are being continuously ignored.
“People of Punjab will no longer be swayed by the promises and political theatrics of Arvind Kejriwal. In the coming months, people will demand full accountability from this government and will respond decisively in the elections,” he said. PTI CHS VSD KVK KVK
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