Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has come underneath hearth from the Opposition after the demise toll within the spurious liquor incident in a village in Sangrur climbed to eight Thursday.
His critics allege that he’s busy “singing” as a substitute of coping with the tragedy.
Initially, three deaths had been reported Wednesday morning in Sangrur district’s Gujran village after a bunch of each day wage employees, who had consumed locally-made alcohol the night time earlier than, died of their sleep. In response to the police, others who had taken sick had been rushed to the hospital. The demise toll rose to 5 by Wednesday night and the following day, three extra deaths had been reported.
The police mentioned that three individuals have been arrested and a case underneath Part 302 (homicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and underneath provisions of the Excise Act has been registered. They added that the district administration had additionally constituted a five-member committee to research the matter.
The Opposition Thursday slammed CM Mann for remaining silent on the problem and as a substitute going about “singing with his friends”.
Posting a video of Mann, reportedly taken whereas he was travelling with Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh in a automobile and singing a Punjabi track, state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar in contrast Mann to the notorious Roman emperor Nero who didn’t act when Rome was burning.
“While Rome was burning, Nero was playing flute! Following in the foot steps of Nero, Bhagwant Mann ji is singing tappas while people in own constituency Sangrur are dying of illicit liquor (sic),” he wrote on X.
The video of Mann, a comic turned politician, singing “tappe“, a type of Punjabi folks track, has gone viral on social media.
Whereas Rome was burning Nero was enjoying flute !
Following within the foot steps of Nero, Bhagwant Mann ji is singing tappas whereas individuals in personal constituency Sangrur are dying of illicit liquor.ਜਦੋਂ ਰੋਮ ਸੜ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ ਤਾਂ ਨੀਰੋ ਬੰਸਰੀ ਵਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ!
ਨੀਰੋ ਦੇ ਨਕਸ਼ੇ-ਕਦਮਾਂ ‘ਤੇ ਚੱਲ ਕੇ ਭਗਵੰਤ… pic.twitter.com/uAVvzz9Ybf— Sunil Jakhar(Modi Ka Parivar) (@sunilkjakhar) March 21, 2024
The Chief of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, criticised Mann over his silence on the tragedy and demanded that the excise minister, too, be booked for homicide within the case and be requested to resign.
“Eight people have died by consuming illicit liquor in the Dirba assembly segment, which is being represented by the Punjab Excise Minister, @HarpalCheemaMLA himself. Dirba comes under Sangrur, the home district of Punjab CM @BhagwantMann. However, the @AAPPunjab govt has failed miserably to fix the responsibility…It has kept mum on the issue. Not even a single word has been uttered by Cheema and Mann, which is a height of brazenness. Meanwhile, the onus is on Punjab CM to hold the Excise Minister responsible and ask for his resignation (sic),” wrote Bajwa on X.
Posting a video of a press convention by Mann from July 2020, Bajwa reminded the CM that in August that yr, when over 100 individuals had died after consuming spurious liquor in Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, Mann demanded that each one these concerned in distributing poison to the individuals must be booked for homicide, together with the involved minister.
Mann had, on the time, requested the then Congress authorities led by Capt Amarinder Singh to offer satisfactory compensation to the households of the deceased as all those that had died had been the only breadwinners of their households. Mann had additionally questioned Amarinder’s silence on the matter.
“Bhagwant Mannji, this is you telling the government what to do in such cases in August 2020. Please follow your own advice and book the excise minister Harpal Cheema, for these deaths,” wrote Bajwa on X.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Bikram Singh Majithia, too, took to X to touch upon Mann’s silence.
“Bhagwant Mannji, you are the chief minister and in your own district of Sangrur, eight people have died from consuming spurious liquor. It is not fitting for you to be singing songs. Please fulfill your responsibility as chief minister and take strict action against those responsible instead of enjoying yourself in colourful programmes,” wrote Majithia on X.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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