The New Indian Express ·
Politics
'Don't do politics over dead bodies': Punjab CM Mann slams Rahul's attack on AAP over farmer's 'suicide'
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann hit back at senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government following the death by suicide of 47-year-old farmer Gulzar Singh, asking him "not to do politics over dead bodies".
Gandhi had launched a fresh attack on the Punjab government after Singh, who had questioned Finance Minister Harpal Cheema about the drug menace, died by suicide.
Later, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Raja Warring launched a counterattack against CM Mann, after which Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal again questioned Gandhi.
Responding to Gandhi in a post on X in Hindi, Mann said police have already arrested the accused in the matter. "Rahul Gandhi ji, don't do politics over dead bodies; Punjabis do not like this kind of politics."
Sharing a video clip, Mann said, "Look at this, when Congress leaders went to the victim's village and tried to indulge in this dirty politics, they were chased away by the people."
On Singh's alleged suicide, Mann said police have already arrested all the accused. He held the previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments responsible for the spread of the drug menace in Punjab. "Under my government, no drug trafficker will be spared," he said.
Meanwhile, Warring attacked AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann over their remarks against Rahul Gandhi, saying the reaction from the AAP leadership showed that Gandhi had “hit the nail on its head” by exposing the Punjab government’s claims on drug menace.
Warring said it was “good that the AAP has felt the pain”, asserting that the party’s response itself demonstrated how uncomfortable its leadership had become over questions concerning the availability of drugs in Punjab. “The AAP has mastered the shameless art of self-praise. No wonder it shamelessly claims to have eradicated drugs in Punjab, when these are available like salt,” Warring said.
He alleged that despite repeated claims by the AAP government that the drug issue had been brought under control, the ground reality in the state remained starkly different.
He said the issue could not be resolved through political statements or publicity campaigns and alleged that the continued availability of drugs in Punjab raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the government’s anti-drug campaign.
Warring also accused AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and Mann of telling “blatant lies” about the situation in Punjab. "AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann have the audacity to lie so blatantly about drugs in Punjab that they jail and force people to take their lives if they ask questions on the prevailing drug problem in the state,” he alleged.
Referring to the death of Gulzar Singh, Warring said the incident had raised serious questions about the manner in which the state government was dealing with those who questioned its claims and policies. He alleged that instead of answering legitimate questions about the drug menace, the government was attempting to silence its critics.
Earlier, in his post on X, Gandhi said, "A dangerous pattern is emerging in Punjab's AAP government -- if you question government failures, the response will come in the form of threats and torture," Gandhi said, referring to the case of Gulzar Singh.
"For just this, he was tortured and humiliated so much, pressured so intensely to apologise, that he consumed poison. Wandering from one hospital to another, without access to treatment, he ultimately lost the battle for his life," Gandhi.
"Last week, I also spoke with a young Mohanjeet Singh, who was tortured for protesting against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The government's job is to answer to the people, not to crush those who ask questions. May Gulzar Singh ji's family get justice as soon as possible. The Chief Minister should immediately demand the Finance Minister's resignation and ensure an independent and impartial investigation, with his name registered in the FIR," Gandhi said.
Responding to Rahul's social media post, senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said, “Rahul Gandhi, you have spoken about drugs and action against drugs, but I want to remind you that if any government has taken decisive action against drugs in Punjab, it is the CM Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government. Your party came to power in 2017 promising to eradicate drugs within four weeks. You had five years in government, what did you do during those five years?” he asked.
He questioned why the opposition is choosing to politicise a tragic incident when it had no substantive issues left to raise against the government. “Earlier, you did politics in the name of religion and caste. Now, when those issues have failed, you have started doing politics over dead bodies. This is not the culture of Punjab,” he said.
Goyal said the affected family had taken the decision to conduct the last rites of Gulzar Singh according to their own wishes, yet opposition leaders reached the spot and attempted to turn the situation into a political issue. He said that local people themselves opposed the presence of political leaders and asked them to leave. “People made it clear that their own committee had been formed and that they would handle the matter themselves,” he said.
A purported video of Singh's last moments showed the daily wager asking Cheema about the availability of drugs in his area, saying the sarpanch would be responsible for his death and admitting that his son also took drugs.
Gulzar Singh, a 47-year-old Dalit man from Dirba in Sangrur district, died on Monday night after allegedly consuming poison. His family said he had questioned Cheema about the supply of drugs in the area during an event in Dirba on September 6.
As his emotive video went viral, opposition parties, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, cornered the AAP government and demanded a probe. Both BJP and Congress alleged that Singh was pressured into taking his life.
Following a complaint by Singh's family, five people were booked under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Punjab Police have set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an additional director general of police rank officer to probe the incident.
