‘1 nation, 1 husband?’: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s sindoor dig sparks BJP outrage | Chandigarh News
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday accused the BJP of turning “sindoor” (vermilion) into a joke and asked if it was a “one nation, one husband” scheme, eliciting a sharp reaction from the BJP, which accused the AAP leader of “mocking” Operation Sindoor.Replying to a question about the Ludhiana West assembly seat byelection, Mann said BJP was seeking votes in the name of Operation Sindoor. “These people have turned ‘sindoor’ into a joke. They are sending sindoor to every home. If it comes to your house, will you apply ‘sindoor’ in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s name? Is this a ‘one nation, one husband’ scheme?” Mann said.
Mann was briefing media after a meeting of the state cabinet.Later, Mann added in a press statement that the BJP’s Operation Sindoor tactic wouldn’t sway voters, as people wouldn’t be fooled by such moves. He called these actions mere “theatrics” that the citizens of the state and country would never fall for. Mann said it was ironic the BJP and Centre were “sending sindoor to every household without any logical reason”.Punjab BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal termed the remark shameful. In a post on X, he accused Mann of mocking Operation Sindoor. “There is no BJP activity of sending sindoor to every household. The name Operation Sindoor was used because terrorists were killing Hindus after checking their religion — sindoor was a marker they used to identify women. This operation was about terrorism, martyrdom, and the protection of Indian lives. But how would Bhagwant Mann, a man with zero sensitivity, understand that?” he said.Union minister of state Ravneet Bittu demanded an unconditional apology from Mann and described his remarks as “crass”. “I never expected Mann to stoop so low by mocking the widows of Pahalgam using the disgraceful phrase ‘one nation, one husband’,” he said.AAP spokesperson Neel Garg defended Mann, saying the right to sindoor belonged only to a husband and not a political party. “BJP says it will distribute sindoor to every home. I ask: does the BJP now have a right even over a woman’s sindoor? Is this the BJP’s idea of respect to women? In Hindu culture, sindoor is a symbol of affection, dedication, and marital bliss, not a political gimmick. But the BJP has turned even this into a PR event. A woman’s sindoor is her dignity, not a plea for votes. Sindoor is given only by her husband, not by the BJP,” he added.BJP Ludhiana West candidate Jiwan Gupta is in a four-way contest in the bypoll and faces AAP’s Sanjeev Arora, Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parupkar Singh Ghumman.
