- BJP dismissed claims, demanding CM Mann explain fine details.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the Centre of targeting him after he was stopped at Delhi airport following his return from Paris and fined Rs 50,000. On Friday, Mann linked the incident to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the poll panel chief’s brother, Manish Kumar, heads the Customs Department at the airport.
“Who is the head of customs at the Delhi airport? Manish, the brother of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. This is how these people take revenge,” Mann alleged, accusing the Centre of political retaliation.
What Bhagwant Mann Alleged In Punjab Assembly
Mann raised the issue during a Punjab Assembly discussion on a resolution concerning alleged electoral irregularities. He said airport officials made him wait for two hours after he returned from Paris, where he attended an international food exhibition.
According to Mann, he cooperated with the inspection of his luggage, but officials found nothing objectionable before imposing what he described as an “arbitrary” Rs 50,000 challan.
“They asked me to have my luggage checked, and I complied with the inspection. Nothing objectionable was found among my belongings,” he said.
The chief minister further alleged that officials told him they were acting under pressure from senior authorities and risked their jobs if they did not issue the fine. He also referred to Gyanesh Kumar’s daughter, who serves as the district magistrate of Noida, without naming her.
BJP Asks Mann To Explain Rs 50,000 Customs Fine
Punjab BJP leader Sarin rejected Mann’s allegations, arguing that the chief minister could not avoid questions about the incident by highlighting the Customs Department chief’s alleged family connection to the CEC.
Sarin demanded that Mann disclose which items prompted the airport authorities to stop him and explain why the fine was imposed. He accused the chief minister of making baseless allegations and misleading the public.
The BJP leader also pointed out that passengers at Delhi airport routinely undergo security checks and customs procedures. While protocol may exempt the chief minister from personal screening, the same exemption does not necessarily apply to his luggage or members of his entourage, Sarin said.
He accused Mann of politicising the episode instead of providing a detailed account of what happened.
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Paris Food Expo Visit And Lahore Invitation
Mann travelled to France to attend SIAL Paris 2026, held from October 17 to 21. The Punjab government’s challenge to the Centre’s decision to deny him “political clearance” for the visit was allowed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Speaking about the exhibition, Mann said international brands participated in the event and that Markfed’s SOHNA also had a stall. He said Indian exhibitors had invited him to visit their displays.
“There were around 150 stalls from India. Stalls from other states of India invited me to visit their stalls and I visited all of them,” he said.
Mann also disclosed that he had received an invitation to attend the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore on November 27. Questioning the restrictions on his foreign travel, he asked how he could be permitted to visit Pakistan if he had faced difficulties obtaining clearance for France.
“Our culture is the same. Many poets from here will go there,” Mann said.
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Mann Proposes Punjab MLAs’ Visit To Kartarpur Sahib
The chief minister said he wanted all members of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan if the Kartarpur Corridor reopened.
The corridor provides pilgrims access to Darbar Sahib, a historic Sikh shrine in Pakistan. It has remained closed since May 7 last year, when Indian armed forces conducted missile strikes against nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
