On Tuesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticized the BJP, accusing the party of using Operation Sindoor for political mileage ahead of elections. He claimed the BJP was exploiting the military operation, which was launched on May 7 in response to the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where Hindu tourists were targeted based on their sindoor.

Responding to a question about the BJP’s campaign for the June 19 Ludhiana West assembly bypoll, Mann alleged the party was mocking Indian traditions and using the operation to garner votes. Referring to reports of BJP workers distributing sindoor to households, he sarcastically questioned whether people were expected to wear sindoor in Prime Minister Modi’s name, remarking, “Is this One Nation, One Husband?”

The BJP strongly objected to Mann’s remarks, denying any such sindoor campaign and condemning his comments as disrespectful. Party leaders, including spokesperson Pritpal Singh Balliawal, called the statement “shameful,” and demanded Manns resignation, claiming he had disrespected the sanctity of sindoor and the sacrifices of Indian soldiers and their families.

The BJPs Ludhiana West candidate, Jiwan Gupta, is contesting against AAP’s Sanjeev Arora, Congress’s Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and Akali Dal’s Parupkar Singh Ghumman. The party lashed out on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Mann of insulting martyrs families and questioning AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s silence on the issue. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also condemned Mann, calling the remarks cheap political commentary and demanded an unconditional apology. He criticized Mann for belittling the widows of martyrs and said being a former comedian doesnt excuse such insensitivity.

Bittu also accused Congress leaders, including Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, of undermining the military by demanding proof of Operation Sindoor’s success, saying such statements disrespect the armed forces and embolden enemies. Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu also slammed Mann, stating it has become common to mock Hindu customs and that such disrespect is unacceptable. He too demanded an unconditional apology from the CM. Operation Sindoor involved precision missile strikes by the Indian armed forces on May 7, targeting nine terror locations in Pakistan and PoK, including key strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Hindustan Times.