Chandigarh, May 21 (IANS) Minister of State (MoS) Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday issued a clarification for referring to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as an “ISI agent”. He underlined that his remark came in response to Mann accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the twin explosions in Punjab, despite the Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav mentioning an ISI angle in the incident.
Bittu had accused Chief Minister Mann of being an “ISI agent” who is trying to endanger India and disrupt the Prime Minister’s work.
Speaking to reporters, the Union Minister said that the blasts had taken place near the BJP office in Punjab and two blasts also occurred on railway tracks in Patiala.
Notably, two back-to-back explosions took place in Jalandhar and Amritsar on May 6, a day before the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
Union Minister Bittu said: “RPGs were fired, grenades are being thrown everywhere, IEDs are being planted there in Punjab.”
“The CM is accusing BJP for the blasts, who himself holds the Home department portfolio. On the other hand, the DGP blamed the ISI,” he added.
“Since he (Mann) was blaming the BJP despite the Punjab DGP mentioning links with ISI, so I said that means you (Mann) are an ISI agent. You are helping them,” he said.
Following the twin explosions, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had mentioned that Pakistan’s ISI appears to be attempting to disturb the situation in the state.
The National Investigation Agency had also found ISI imprint in the twin blasts in Punjab.
Earlier, the BJP filed a defamation suit against CM Bhagwant Mann after the latter linked the party to the twin blasts in Punjab.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh had served a legal notice to the Punjab Chief Minister, demanding withdrawal of his statement and a public apology within seven days.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, on Tuesday, hit out at Ravneet Singh Bittu for his remark.
In a post on social media platform X, Warring said: “Calling Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann an “ISI agent” is one of the most serious allegations possible against a Constitutional office holder.”
–IANS
cg/khz