Political tensions escalated in Punjab after BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu waved a liquor bottle, eggs and tomatoes towards Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s convoy during a protest outside Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana on September 19. Punjab Police detained Bittu following the incident.
The protest came a day after Bittu alleged that his convoy had been attacked with eggs, tomatoes and stones near Batala while he was travelling to Pathankot for the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.
Bittu Targets Mann With Liquor Bottle
Bittu staged the protest near the university gates as Chief Minister Mann was arriving for an event. Holding up a liquor bottle towards the chief minister’s convoy, the BJP leader said he was returning the bottle and accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to address Punjab’s problems.
He also targeted AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that the party’s leadership was running Punjab from Delhi. Bittu presented the liquor bottle, eggs and tomatoes as a symbolic response to the alleged attack on his convoy.
BJP Leader Alleges Attack on His Convoy
According to Bittu, his convoy was targeted near Batala on September 18 while he was travelling to attend the BJP’s anti-drug campaign in Pathankot. He alleged that protesters threw eggs, tomatoes and stones at his vehicles, damaging some of them.
Bittu accused AAP supporters of being involved, but the Aam Aadmi Party denied the allegations. The claims surrounding the alleged attack remain disputed.
Police Detain Bittu as Political Row Intensifies
Punjab Police detained Bittu after his protest outside PAU. The incident further intensified the political confrontation between the BJP and the ruling AAP in Punjab.
Bittu maintained that BJP workers had the right to stage peaceful democratic protests against the state government. He also said his party would continue raising issues concerning Punjab and would not be silenced by police action.
The episode highlights growing tensions between the two parties, with allegations of political violence and retaliatory protests adding to the confrontation ahead of the next Punjab Assembly elections.