Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab unit president Sunil Jakhar cautioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann against engaging in petty politics regarding the naming of Guru Ravidas. Jakhar highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already announced the Adampur Airport’s renaming after Guru Ravidas during his 2024 Punjab visit. Despite this, Chief Minister Mann’s actions were criticized as cheap politics by Jakhar.
Jakhar pointed out the peculiar timing of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Punjab for Guru Ravidas Prakash Purab, coinciding with the Union Budget presentation on February 1. He expressed surprise at the Chief Minister’s failure to acknowledge or respect the Prime Minister’s decision to honor Guru Ravidas by naming the airport after him.
Recalling the Prime Minister’s earlier announcement in Hoshiarpur, Jakhar emphasized that the naming ceremony for the airport had been officially scheduled. He criticized Chief Minister Mann for engaging in trivial politics by demanding something that had already been decided and announced. Jakhar stressed that such behavior was unbecoming of a Chief Minister, especially when the Prime Minister’s visit and the naming ceremony were already confirmed.
The state BJP President reiterated that if Chief Minister Mann had genuinely raised new demands beneficial to Punjab, they would have been supported across party lines. However, by reiterating a demand that had already been addressed, Jakhar questioned the Chief Minister’s motives. He highlighted Prime Minister Modi’s track record of prioritizing Punjab’s demands and fulfilling them promptly, including the renaming of the airport after Guru Ravidas.
