Military must not be politicised, but BJP milking Operation Sindoor: Bhagwant Mann

Ludhiana, Jun 5 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Thursday asserted that there should be no "politicisation" of the armed forces, even as he accused the BJP of milking Operation Sindoor for political gains.

"Such politics should not be done. I salute the armed forces. But there should be no politicisation of the army," he said.

"Have you ever seen any former prime minister donning a military uniform....? But now the uniform is being used for political gains. It should not happen," he said.

Armed forces fight for the country, and they have no connection with politics, he asserted.

The BJP had earlier attacked Mann for his "one nation, one husband" remark, terming it "disgraceful." The BJP said the chief minister "insulted" the widows of those killed in the Pahalgam attack and demanded an apology from him.

On Tuesday, Mann sparked a controversy when he accused the BJP of seeking votes in the name of 'sindoor' (vermilion) and asked if it had started a "one nation, one husband" scheme.

The CM, again on Wednesday, took a jibe at the BJP, saying this was the first time that an Indian delegation had been sent abroad to explain the country's victory in a conflict.

Meanwhile, Mann also targeted the Akali Dal, accusing it of bringing gangsters into Punjab.

"The gangsters that are infamous today came into existence during Akali's tenure. Drugs were also brought in by them," he alleged.

He also recalled the Nabha jailbreak, blaming the Akalis for the incident.

"These people have ruined Punjab. They neither built any schools nor colleges. They handed over roads to private companies, promoted sand and land mafias, and disrespected religion.

"They seized control of Sikh institutions and ignored the orders of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. How can these people save Punjab? In fact, Punjab needs to be saved from them," Mann alleged.

Earlier, several local Congress workers and leaders joined the AAP in the presence of the Punjab chief minister.

Among those who joined the party were Simmi Chopra Pashan, Vinayak Pashan, Chanderjit Karan, Ranbir Singh and Manish Aggarwal. PTI COR CHS VN VN