‘Drunk or Defamed?’ Punjab CM Row sparks a Battle of Narratives

A storm of controversy swept through the Punjab Legislative Assembly on Friday, as serious allegations leveled by opposition leaders against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann plunged the House into chaos and sharp political confrontation.

The special session of the Assembly, convened on the occasion of Labour Day, began on a relatively calm note but soon spiraled into acrimony. Tensions flared when Congress legislators accused the Chief Minister of arriving in the House under the influence of alcohol a charge that quickly escalated into a full blown political flashpoint.

Leader of the opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa, echoing the claims first raised by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, demanded that an immediate alcohol or breathalyzer test be conducted, not only on the Chief Minister but also on all the Members of the Legislative assembly present in the House.  He argued that the gravity of the accusation warranted transparent verification, stating that if true, it would mark a “black day for democracy.”  

As tempers rose, repeated interruptions, sloganeering, and sharp exchanges between treasury and opposition benches disrupted proceedings. Eventually, Congress members staged a walkout, intensifying the spectacle of discord that overshadowed the day’s legislative agenda.  

The controversy deepened further when Rajya sabha MP Swati Maliwal launched a public attack on Bhagwat Mann. She accused the Chief Minister of repeatedly attending official duties, including official proceedings, in an allegedly intoxicated state, questioning his fitness to govern a sensitive border state like Punjab.
Her remarks, coming amid her recent political shift from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), added a sharper political edge to the issue. Maliwal’s criticism amplified the opposition’s narrative and ensured that the controversy extended well beyond the Assembly floor into the national political discourse.

While opposition parties described the episode as a serious breach of decorum, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. Party leaders accused the opposition of attempting to malign the government’s image and derail legislative proceedings through sensational claims.  
Supporters of the Chief Minister also rallied in the Assembly, countering opposition accusations and defending Mann’s conduct, which further contributed to the charged atmosphere inside the House.

The uproar in the Assembly underscores a broader concern about the erosion of decorum in legislative spaces. With serious accusations being exchanged and proceedings repeatedly disrupted, the incident has sparked debate over the standards expected of elected representatives and the mechanisms available to address such allegations responsibly.
As of now, no official confirmation or medical verification has been made public regarding the claims. Yet, the controversy continues to reverberate across political circles, leaving behind a deeply divided narrative, one shaped as much by political rivalry as by the demands of public accountability.