CHANDIGARH: Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, S. Partap Singh Bajwa, today launched a scathing attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of reducing governance in Punjab to a crude circus of political extortion and vendetta.
Bajwa said the shocking FIR registered against AAP MLA from Sanaur, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, exposes not just the moral and legal rot within the ruling party, but also the complete collapse of justice under Bhagwant Mann’s leadership.
“The FIR itself makes it clear that the alleged crime dates back from 2014 to June 2024. The complainant approached the authorities in September 2022 with her grievance. Yet, for nearly three years, the Mann government remained deaf and blind to her cries for justice. Why was no action taken then? Why was this MLA not arrested or even questioned for so long?” Bajwa asked.
He added that the timing of Pathanmajra’s arrest speaks volumes. “Suddenly, in September 2025, when Pathanmajra raises his voice against Bhagwant Mann’s functioning and criticises the government, the case is dug up, arrests are made, and then miraculously, he even manages to escape police custody. This is not governance. This is nothing but a government of extortion, blackmail, and selective targeting, ” Bajwa thundered.
Bajwa underlined that the charges mentioned in the FIR are of the most serious nature. “But instead of ensuring a fair and just investigation, I fear that Bhagwant Mann will use these charges as a bargaining chip to compromise with Pathanmajra and silence him. This means justice for the complainant will once again be denied, and the law will be bent for political convenience, ” Bajwa said.
He added that this episode reveals two disturbing truths about the Mann government. First, it has absolutely no commitment to justice for ordinary citizens. “If a complaint is kept under wraps until it becomes politically useful, imagine what happens to the complaints of common man and woman of Punjab against high and mighty, ” Bajwa remarked. Second, it proves that Bhagwant Mann only uses the machinery of the state to tame dissenting voices, whether they belong to political opponents or his own party members.
“Punjab does not need a Chief Minister who plays political stage shows with people’s suffering. Punjab needs justice, fairness, and governance — not a comedy circus, ” Bajwa concluded.