Rahul Gandhi alleges Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann smelled of alcohol in Parliament
The Congress leader questioned how the Chief Minister can fight the state's drug menace if he gets intoxicated every evening.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a personal attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday, alleging that Mann smelled of alcohol during his time in Parliament. Speaking at the Congress ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur, Gandhi questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's ability to tackle the state's drug crisis.
According to reports by ThePrint, Gandhi recalled Mann's tenure as the Sangrur MP, stating that while Mann would crack jokes with them, he would smell of alcohol by 11 am. Gandhi said that while alcohol consumption is a personal matter, a chief minister cannot be intoxicated every evening if he intends to fight drugs.
Gandhi further questioned the AAP's performance, asking from which part of Punjab the party had managed to eliminate the drug menace. He noted that the public had placed their trust in Mann and the AAP based on their promise to end substance abuse in the state.
The Congress leader also criticised the AAP for being run from Delhi. He stated that the Congress would govern from the soil of Punjab without interference from the Home Minister or a former chief minister of Delhi.
Mann, who previously won the Sangrur parliamentary seat in 2014 and 2019, has previously claimed that political opponents have attempted to damage his reputation by labelling him a natural drinker. In 2019, Mann had vowed to stop drinking in the presence of his mother and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.