Ludhiana – As the Punjab Assembly election campaign heats up, a dramatic showdown unfolded on Saturday when BJP veteran Ravneet Singh Bittu disrupted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s appearance at the Punjab Agricultural University.
After the chief minister concluded the Kisan Mela and his convoy was pulling away, Bittu, flanked by party workers, stepped into the route holding a bottle of liquor. He shouted that he had come to “return” the bottle to the chief minister and used the moment to lambast the state government for its handling of the drug crisis.
Allegations of Tomato Throwing and Earlier Egg Incident
Bittu claimed that supporters of the ruling AAP had hurled tomatoes at the CM’s vehicle during the Ludhiana episode. He also revisited a prior confrontation in Batala, where he alleged that eggs were tossed at his own convoy while he was traveling to the BJP’s “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra” in Pathankot. According to Bittu, his security detail detained three assailants before police restored order.
“If protests can be staged against BJP rallies, we too have the democratic right to demonstrate against the government,” Bittu told reporters after his arrest.
Detention and Party’s Response
Police intervened and placed Bittu in custody shortly after the disruption. Unfazed, the BJP spokesperson pledged that the party would continue to raise the “drug menace” issue and organize peaceful protests outside the chief minister’s events and government offices.
- Location: Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
- Key figures: CM Bhagwant Mann, BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu
- Issues highlighted: alleged drug problem, alleged assault on political convoys
The episode underscores the increasingly charged atmosphere as Punjab heads toward a pivotal electoral showdown.
