Twitter Becomes Battleground – Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Majithia, and Sidhu Engage in Verbal Sparring
- Aap ke LiyeHEADLINESNATIONPOLITICSPUNJAB
- June 4, 2023
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In the wake of a united stand taken by all Opposition parties in Punjab to support Barjinder Singh Hamdard, the editor-in-chief of Ajit newspaper, during an all-party meeting, a fierce war of words erupted on Twitter on Sunday. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann found himself embroiled in a heated exchange with Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, and the conflict escalated further when former state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu joined forces with Majithia to launch scathing criticisms against Mann.
The exchange commenced with Mann launching a scathing attack, in a poetic style, on all political parties, including Hamdard. Majithia and Sidhu, in turn, responded with their own poetic salvos.
Mann directed his criticism towards Majithia, highlighting his family’s alleged association with General Dyer, and towards the Congress for their involvement in Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple. He also took aim at the Akalis for their alleged role in the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, and the BJP for their divisive tactics and anti-farmer laws. Mann insinuated that those associated with the Jang-e-Azadi memorial, including Hamdard who was summoned by the Vigilance Bureau, have formed an alliance and share common traits.
In a retaliatory move, Majithia targeted Mann, accusing him of having a drinking habit, playing politics with the martyrs’ memorial, embracing the family responsible for the attack on the Golden Temple, and imposing Section 144 on gurdwaras. Majithia also criticized Mann for being offloaded from a plane due to alcohol consumption, neglecting his children, misusing the National Security Act (NSA) against youths, withdrawing security from Punjab rapper Sidhu Moosewala (resulting in his murder), and featuring gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on television.
Continuing his tirade, Majithia accused Mann of spreading false information about Goldy Brar’s extradition, fabricating claims about BMW establishing a unit in Punjab, replacing Bhagat Singh’s pictures, making empty promises about water supply to Haryana, allowing Punjab to be controlled remotely from Delhi, and appointing undertrial individuals held in jail to prominent positions. Majithia also alleged Mann’s involvement in burdening Punjab with a loan of Rs 45,000 crore, failing to take action against Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, and spending Sundays tweeting after consuming alcohol.
Sidhu, who recently reconciled with Majithia after years of estrangement, joined the fray with his own rhyming retorts. He criticized those who “misused vigilance, accepted commissions from the mafia, acted as puppets controlled from Delhi, suppressed the media, played politics while compromising law and order, vowed to quit drinking by invoking their mother, adorned the yellow turban of martyrs as a groom’s headgear,” and delivered lectures on ethics.
The intense Twitter battle has garnered significant attention, with political observers closely monitoring the ongoing exchanges among these prominent figures. The repercussions of this online feud are anticipated to reverberate in Punjab’s political landscape, potentially influencing future alliances and electoral dynamics.