Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 3: The Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday stirred controversy with a controversial remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenting that the BJP had turned “sindoor” into a joke and asked if this was a “one nation, one husband” scheme, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP.
“BJP is seeking votes in the name of Operation Sindoor. These people have turned ‘sindoor’ into a joke. They are sending sindoor to every home. Will you now apply ‘sindoor’ in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s name? Is this a ‘one nation, one husband’ scheme?” Mr Mann said. The Punjab Chief Minister made the comment while speaking to the media after a cabinet meeting in Chandigarh.
Replying to a question over the BJP workers seeking votes in the name of Operation Sindoor ahead of the bypoll in Ludhiana, Mr Mann took a jibe at the BJP’s campaign around the operation and questioned the symbolic use of sindoor, a traditional symbol of marriage worn by many Hindu women.
“What can we do about it? You are asking for votes in the name of sindoor,” Mann said. “Sindoor is now being used as a joke. They’re saying they’ll send sindoor to every household, he said. “If sindoor is sent to your home, will you wear it in Modi’s name? Is this one nation, one husband? Is that the scheme?”
The comment drew immediate and sharp criticism from the BJP, with the party’s Chandigarh unit slamming the Chief Minister in a lengthy post on social media platform X. “Bhagwant Mann just mocked Operation Sindoor, asking: “Will you wear sindoor in Modi’s name? Is this One Nation, One Husband?” This isn’t satire. This is vulgarity dressed as leadership,” the BJP post said.
The party further explained that Operation Sindoor was launched after Hindu women were specifically targeted by terrorists and identified by their sindoor. “Let’s be clear: Operation Sindoor was launched after Hindu women were targeted by terrorists, identified by their sindoor. It was about justice for the innocent, not a joke.”
“But how would Bhagwant Mann understand? A man who Abandoned his first wife and children Mocks martyrdom Insults Veer Naris and the Indian Army Mocks sacred symbols women wear with pride,” the post continued.
Punjab BJP’s chief spokesperson, Pritpal Singh Baliawal, also reacted strongly, calling Mann’s comment “shamelessness wearing a CM’s turban.” “You haven’t insulted BJP, Mr Mann — You’ve insulted every soldier’s widow, every grieving wife, and the spirit of Bharat. Bhagwant Mann must RESIGN immediately and APOLOGISE to the entire nation,” Baliawal stated.
Operation Sindoor was India’s military response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, in which 26 civilians were killed. In a pre-dawn strike on 7 May, Indian armed forces targeted nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Key targets included Jaish-e-Mohammad’s base in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s headquarters in Muridke.
The BJP recently announced a nationwide campaign to showcase the Narendra Modi government’s success in Operation Sindoor, India’s counterstrike to the Pahalgam terror attack. Following the announcement, some reports claimed that the BJP would send ‘sindoor’ – vermilion – to every home as part of the campaign. The Press Information Bureau trashed these reports.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had slammed Prime Minister Modi for the choice of ‘Operation Sindoor’ as the name of India’s strike back. “The name ‘Operation Sindoor’ was their brainchild. It was politically motivated. I did not want to say this, especially when the multi-party delegations are visiting several countries and explaining India’s stand. But today, the Prime Minister came to West Bengal with the motive of political propaganda,” Ms Banerjee said after the Prime Minister visited Bengal. “First, he (PM Modi) described himself as a tea-seller. Then, he described himself as a guard. Now he has come here to sell Sindoor,” she added.
In the aftermath of India’s airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, several reports said it was Mr Modi who chose the name Operation Sindoor.
