Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the death of a 47-year-old Dalit man from Dirba, urging him not to “do politics over dead bodies”.
In a Hindi post on X, Mann said police had already arrested the accused in the case.
Gulzar Singh, a resident of Dirba in Sangrur district, died on Monday night after allegedly consuming a poisonous substance. His family had claimed that he questioned Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the supply of drugs in the area during an event in Dirba on September 6.
Earlier on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the AAP government over the alleged suicide and demanded that Mann immediately seek Cheema’s resignation and ensure an impartial investigation.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that a “dangerous pattern” was emerging under the AAP government, where those questioning failures were allegedly met with threats and torture.
Responding to Gandhi, Mann said, “Rahul Gandhi ji, don’t do politics over dead bodies. Punjabis do not like this kind of politics.”
Mann also shared a video clip and claimed that Congress leaders who visited the victim’s village were driven away by local residents when they allegedly tried to engage in what he described as “dirty politics”.
The chief minister reiterated that police had already arrested all those accused in the case.
Mann also blamed previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments for the spread of drug addiction in Punjab, while asserting that no drug trafficker would be spared.
