Bhagwant Mann takes ‘one nation, one husband’ dig at 'sindoor' campaign, BJP says ‘vulgarity dressed as leadership’

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday lashed out at Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann over his ‘one nation, one husband’ jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at a press briefing, Bhagwant Mann said, “…Everyone is talking about sindoor… Haven’t you seen how sindoor is being made fun of?... If sindoor comes to your house, too, will you wear it? Will you say ‘wear it in Modi’s name’? Is it a ‘One Nation, One Husband’ scheme?”

His remarks come in the backdrop of the June 19 Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll in Punjab, with Operation Sindoor being the major poll plank for the saffron party.

Reacting to Mann’s comment, the Chandigarh unit of BJP took to X and wrote, “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, the party wrote, adding, it is “vulgarity dressed as leadership.”

“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,” the party added further.

Launching an attack on Mann, the party went on to ask Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal whether he supported the chief minister’s remarks “mocking sindoor”. “Or will you stay silent just to protect your politics?,” it said.

It also sought Mann’s resignation and asked him to apologise to the entire nation.

Recently, the saffron party denied report claiming it would initiate a door-to-door campaign to distribute sindoor (vermilion) to mark the success of Operation Sindoor.

Calling the report “false”, it said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party has not organised any program to distribute vermilion door to door.”

In the early hours of May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.