Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday accused the Centre of mistreating Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at Delhi airport after his return from Paris, alleging that he was detained for nearly three hours and later issued a Rs 50,000 challan, according to a PTI report.
The party’s Punjab media in-charge, Baltej Pannu, said officials repeatedly cited Mann’s luggage as the reason for the delay, first claiming it had not arrived and later that it was under examination. He alleged that the chief minister was stopped again just as he was leaving the airport.
“After three hours, when Mann was allowed to leave and was about to depart after placing his luggage in a vehicle, officials came running after him and said that they were under ‘tremendous pressure from above’,” Pannu claimed.
“When Mann returned from Paris and arrived at the Delhi airport, he was deliberately detained for three hours. Excuses were made that ‘your luggage is still arriving’ and ‘your luggage is still being checked’. These were outright lies and an insult to Punjab,” he said.
AAP Alleges Political Targeting
Pannu said the officials then handed Mann the Rs 50,000 challan, and argued that their statement pointed to instructions from senior authorities. AAP did not clarify why the alleged detention took place or what the penalty related to.
“Has any chief minister of an Indian state ever been detained at an airport for three hours in this manner? Has any chief minister of a state ever been disrespected by being issued a challan of Rs 50,000? This is happening solely because Mann is a Punjabi, is the Chief Minister of Punjab, and is working day and night for the betterment of Punjab,” Pannu said.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government of repeatedly acting against Punjab and its people. Pannu cited the farmers’ protest at Delhi’s borders and the alleged withholding of funds due to the state as examples of what he described as the Centre’s attempts to hinder Punjab’s progress.
Paris Visit At Heart Of Row
Mann had travelled to France to attend SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition held from October 17 to 21, where Punjab’s products were promoted and investment opportunities explored.
Pannu alleged that the Centre had refused clearance for Mann’s overseas visits at least four times, claiming it feared the chief minister would attract investment and funding for Punjab through such engagements.
“He (Mann) had gone there to launch Punjab’s famous products at the world’s second-largest food festival. The high court had clearly directed that Mann be accorded his due protocol, but such was the ill intent of the Centre that even the Consul General in Paris did not come to meet the chief minister,” Pannu alleged.
Mann’s trip followed a legal dispute with the Union government. After the Centre denied him political clearance, the Punjab government challenged the decision before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which permitted the visit. The AAP government had called the refusal arbitrary.
Pannu claimed the alleged mistreatment continued even after Mann landed in Delhi.