"They are drinking and driving the state": Harsimrat Badal on AAP-led Punjab govt
Dec 20, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 20 : Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday targeted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a debate in the Lok Sabha and said that his government is "drinking and driving" the state.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who initiated a debate on the call attention motion in the Lok Sabha on problem of drug abuse in the country and steps taken by the government, said Mann was a member of the House till be became the Punjab Chief Minister and had come to Parliament in an "inebriated state".
She also said that members who used to sit near Mann had sought a change in their seats.
"The Chief Minister of state used to sit in the House a few months ago. The person who used to come to the Parliament in an inebriated state is now running the state. Members who used to sit near him had complained to change their seats," she said.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal Badal alleged that law and order situation in Punjab was deteriorating.
"If the Chief Minister is like this then you can imagine what will be the condition of the state. We find 'Don't drink and drive' written on the roads but they are drinking and driving the state," she said.
She also referred to Mann posting a video on social media in which he showed his vehicle crossing security barricades and entering Parliament during the monsoon session on 2016. The incident had caused an uproar and several MPs had demanded stringent action.
Mann was later found guilty by a parliamentary panel for putting the security of Parliament House at risk and was suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Winter Session.
Mann was the only member of Aam Aadmi Party in the Lok Sabha.
Harsimrat Badal also alleged that Mann was "deboarded" from a Lufthansa flight during his return journey from Germany as he was "inebriated".
"A few months ago he went to Germany to discuss about Punjab. The discussion rather took place that a Chief Minister was deboarded from the Lufthansa flight for the first time. Have you ever heard that a chief minister is being offloaded? The Lufthansa flight offloaded him because he was inebriated (nashe ki haalat me the). The Aviation Minister had said that he would investigate," she said.
Lufthansa had later said that its flight was delayed due to aircraft change.
"Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change," Lufthansa News tweeted replying to a user asking about the delay in the flight.
