Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's France Trip Draws Opposition Fire

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's visit to France has sparked a political row, with opposition leaders alleging he is using an official trip as a birthday vacation while the state faces a grave drug crisis.

The France Visit And Official Delegation

Mann's tour is tied to the participation of the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd, known as MARKFED, in the SIAL 2026 international food trade show in Paris from October 17 to October 21. MARKFED secured a stall in the India Pavilion through the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, a body under the Union ministry of commerce and industry. Mann was scheduled to lead a delegation including the chief secretary and the principal secretary to the chief minister. On Friday, the Punjab and Haryana high court allowed the Punjab government's plea challenging the Centre's decision to deny political clearance for the trip, questioning the reasons given by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Opposition Criticism

Opposition leaders slammed the timing of the trip and accused the chief minister of mixing personal events with official business. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia pointed out that the trip coincides with the state's turmoil and the ongoing wait for justice by the grieving family of murdered anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was killed in Mansa on October 13 after raising his voice against illegal drug sales at chemist shops. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tarun Chugh and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also criticized the visit, alleging that Mann was taking his wife to Paris to celebrate his 53rd birthday using taxpayers' money while the state grapples with financial troubles and the drug menace.

Context

State-level political disputes in India frequently involve clashes between regional governing parties and the central government over foreign travel permissions and local law and order challenges. Trade promotion events abroad are common avenues for state bodies to showcase local industries, but they often draw intense scrutiny from political opponents when domestic crises flare up.