Former Union Minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu was detained by Punjab Police on Saturday after staging a protest near the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) gate in Ludhiana while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was visiting the campus for the Kisan Mela.
The incident took place as Mann’s convoy passed through the area. Bittu had reached the PAU gate to protest against the Punjab government. During the demonstration, he held up a liquor bottle towards the Chief Minister’s convoy and said he was “returning the bottle” to Mann.
Bittu also took a dig at Mann over his association with Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, telling the Chief Minister to enjoy his liquor while allowing Kejriwal to “loot Punjab from Delhi”.
Why Bittu protested outside PAU
The protest came a day after Bittu alleged that his convoy was attacked near Batala while he was travelling to attend the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’.
According to Bittu, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at his convoy during the incident. He had also alleged that some vehicles in the cavalcade were damaged.
Bittu brought eggs and tomatoes to his protest outside PAU and said he was returning them after the previous day’s incident. Reports said the political affiliation of those involved in the alleged attack had not been independently established.
Bittu says BJP will continue protests
Speaking after the demonstration, Bittu said the BJP would continue to raise issues related to Punjab and hold protests outside government programmes and offices.
He said, “Yesterday, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at my cavalcade. Today I have returned them.”
Bittu also said that if AAP workers protest against BJP leaders, BJP workers would also exercise their right to protest against the Punjab government.
“We will not remain silent,” he said.
Punjab Police detain Bittu
Punjab Police subsequently detained Bittu from near the PAU gate and took him away from the area. The detention came shortly after his protest as Mann’s programme was underway.
Bittu later said in a social media post that his detention would not stop him from raising issues concerning Punjab.
“Today Punjab Police detained us, but our spirits remain high,” he wrote.
The BJP leader also said the opposition could not be silenced through police action and that his party would continue to hold what he described as peaceful democratic protests.
Political tensions rise in Punjab
The detention has added to the political confrontation between the BJP and the AAP government in Punjab.
Bittu’s protest was linked to the BJP’s campaign against the state’s drug problem and came shortly after his allegations of an attack on his convoy. The AAP and BJP have traded accusations over protests and political activities surrounding the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’.
The latest incident at PAU has further intensified the political exchanges between the opposition BJP and the Punjab government.
