Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, challenges the opposition figures to engage in a public discussion on state issues

In response to criticism from the opposition parties over the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal problem, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday challenged the BJP, Congress, and the Shiromani Akali Dal to an open discussion on state-related topics on November 1.

Following a Supreme Court order on October 4 asking the Center to survey the area of land in Punjab that was designated for the construction of a portion of the canal and estimate the scope of construction there, the opposition parties in Punjab have attacked the Aam Aadmi Party government.

Sunil Jakhar, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa, and Sukhbir Singh Badal, the leaders of the Punjab BJP, Punjab Congress, and Punjab SAD, to a discussion was challenged by Mann.

The opposition leaders accepted Mann’s challenge but once again attacked the AAP administration over the SYL issue in their responses.

In a blog post on X, Mann stated: “It is an open invitation to (Punjab) BJP president Jakhar ji, Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Akali Dal, Raja Warring, and Partap Bajwa of Congress that instead of squabbling every day, come and sit in front of the people of Punjab and the media for a live debate on who carried out the loot and how it was done.”

He demanded a live discussion on all topics, including water sharing, toll booths, and nepotism.

“Brothers-nephews, brother-in-laws, friends, toll plazas, youth, farming, trade, shopkeepers, ‘Gurbani’, river water let us have a live debate on all issues,” he wrote in Punjabi on X.

“You are welcome to bring documents, but I will simply talk. ‘Punjab Day’ on November 1 will be a nice day (for the discussion). You’ll have plenty of time to prepare. I don’t need to cram anything for stating the truth, therefore I am perfectly prepared, Mann said.

Later, in a statement, the CM said that since these leaders had forsaken Punjab and its people, their hands and souls were “drenched in blood” of the state.

He said that the “sins” against Punjab committed by these politicians could never be forgotten by the people of the state, and he urged them to be well-prepared for the next discussion in which he would expose their “misdeeds.”

Jakhar, the leader of the Punjab BJP, responded to Mann by stating that he was willing to discuss any subject pertaining to Punjab.

First of all, please explain to us why or for what political reasons you appeared before the Supreme Court to discuss the important matter of Punjab’s rivers. Punjab is looking for a solution, Jakhar said on X.

The head of the SAD also acknowledged accepting his challenge. “November 1 still seems far off. On October 10, I’ll visit your home in Chandigarh. You must go out and meet if you have the guts. We will have discussions on all state-related issues, including the Punjabi waterways, and we’ll do it in front of the whole media, added Badal.

In addition, Badal requested that AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal be brought, claiming that he is the “real” chief minister of Punjab and referring to Mann as a “pawn.”

The SAD has said that it would ‘gherao’ Mann’s official house in Chandigarh on October 10 due to the SYL issue.

Warring, the head of the Punjab Congress, criticized Mann, accusing him of attempting to deflect the conversation away from the SYL problem. Warring said it would have been preferable if Mann had invited the heads of all political parties and farmer leaders to a substantive debate on the matter.

Additionally, Warring quizzed Mann, asking him about the increase in criminal cases reported over the previous 1.5 years, information on the growth in drug-related cases, the state’s debt, the number of farmer suicides, the cost of commercials, and compensation for flood victims.

In his post on X, Congress politician Bajwa said that he accepted Mann’s challenge but added that the discussion should take place outside of any official building (Vidhan Sabha). A former Supreme Court justice or someone on whom all political parties can come to an agreement should moderate the discussion, he said.

The opposition parties have been criticizing the Mann administration for its handling of the SYL problem. The Punjab BJP protested on Saturday, charging the AAP administration of failing to protect the state’s interest in river water.

Jakhar had said on Saturday that the state government had declared before the supreme court that it was prepared to construct the canal but that farmers and opposition parties were against it.