Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has come under fire from the Opposition after the death toll in the spurious liquor incident in a village in Sangrur climbed to eight Thursday.
His critics allege that he is busy “singing” instead of dealing with the tragedy.
Initially, three deaths were reported Wednesday morning in Sangrur district’s Gujran village after a group of daily wage workers, who had consumed locally-made alcohol the night before, died in their sleep. According to the police, others who had taken ill were rushed to the hospital. The death toll rose to five by Wednesday evening and the next day, three more deaths were reported.
The police said that three persons have been arrested and a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Excise Act has been registered. They added that the district administration had also constituted a five-member committee to investigate the matter.
The Opposition Thursday slammed CM Mann for remaining silent on the issue and instead going about “singing with his friends”.
Posting a video of Mann, reportedly taken while he was travelling with Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh in a car and singing a Punjabi song, state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar compared Mann to the infamous Roman emperor Nero who did not 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 comedian turned politician, singing “tappe“, a form of Punjabi folk song, has gone viral on social media.
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.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 Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, criticised Mann over his silence on the tragedy and demanded that the excise minister, too, be booked for murder in the case and be asked 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 conference by Mann from July 2020, Bajwa reminded the CM that in August that year, when over 100 persons had died after consuming spurious liquor in Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, Mann demanded that all those involved in distributing poison to the people should be booked for murder, including the concerned minister.
Mann had, at the time, asked the then Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh to provide adequate compensation to the families of the deceased as all those who had died were the sole breadwinners of their families. Mann had also 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) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, too, took to X to comment on 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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