The BJP questioned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's proposed France visit after the High Court cleared it. The party sought accountability over its purpose, family participation and public expenditure.
Image used for representational purposes only
Newdelhi,Oct 17, 2026 19:58 IST
The BJP has questioned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's proposed visit to France, accusing him of travelling abroad while the state faces drug abuse and law-and-order problems, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The criticism came a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court approved Mann's visit, allowing the state government's plea challenging the Centre's decision to deny political clearance for the trip.
In its 56-page petition, the Punjab government said the visit, scheduled from October 15 to 21, was proposed in connection with the participation of the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd, or MARKFED, in SIAL Paris 2026. MARKFED is the state's apex cooperative.
Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh alleged, "At a time Punjab is burning in the fire of drug abuse and law and order have completely collapsed, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is heading for France with his wife to celebrate his birthday," PTI reported.
The BJP Rajya Sabha MP called it a highly "inappropriate situation" and asked, "If this is an official tour, why is his wife accompanying him? Who is covering her expenses?"
Chugh added, "Setting up a MARKFED stall in SIAL Paris 2026 is merely a pretext. The real intent is to travel abroad with his wife to celebrate a birthday, spending the money of the innocent, unsuspecting people of Punjab on his personal leisure trip."
Criticising the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, BJP national media convenor Ashish Usha Agarwal said Punjab's treasury was not a "holiday fund for those in power".
He alleged that Punjab was facing "serious challenges", but the AAP government appeared more interested in Paris than in the state's "pressing concerns".
"A birthday that coincides with an official trip, questions over the French government's invitation, family members in the delegation and no clarity on the public expenditure. Who will answer for the taxpayers' money?" Agarwal asked in a post on X.
He added, "The people of Punjab deserve accountability, not unanswered questions and overseas photo-ops."
The BJP's allegations centre on the purpose and cost of Mann's proposed France visit, which the Punjab government has linked to MARKFED's participation in SIAL Paris 2026 and which the High Court has allowed after the Centre denied political clearance.
- Ends