Chandigarh: Accusing the BJP of seeking votes in the name of sindoor, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday asked if the party had started a “one nation, one husband” scheme.
Talking to media persons in Chandigarh, Mann said the ‘campaign’ of distributing Sindoor in households had become a subject of ridicule, with women objecting to accepting Sindoor from other men. The BJP, meanwhile, has denied plans of any such campaign.
“Everyone is making fun of this campaign. Will you take it (Sindoor) and give it to your wife asking her to use it in Modi’s name?” Mann asked the journalist who had posed the question about BJP using Operation Sindoor in their election campaign in Ludhiana.
“Is this a one nation-one husband scheme? Asking for votes in the name of Sindoor—it’s really the limit,” said Mann.
Ludhiana West assembly bypoll is on 19 June and a tough four-cornered contest is in the offing. The BJP is the last to have announced a candidate for the seat, giving the ticket to Jiwan Gupta barely two days before the last day for filing nominations. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of the sitting MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi in accidental firing in January this year.
Earlier AAP leader Sanjay Singh too had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “cheap political stunt to gather votes”. “Do chutki sindoor ka mahatva aap kya jante hain, Modiji?” Singh had posted on ‘X’, referencing a dialogue from a popular Bollywood film. “After one nation, one minister, one nation, one ration, now it’s one nation, one husband,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
भारत में महिलायें अपने पति की लंबी उम्र के लिये अपनी मांग में सिंदूर लगाती हैं।
अब मोदी जी नई स्कीम लाए हैं “One Nation One Husband” BJP के कार्यकर्ता मोदी जी के नाम का सिंदूर घर-घर लेकर जायेंगे।
वोट के लिए BJP की घटिया राजनीति।#सिन्दूर_के_सौदागर pic.twitter.com/Etierj3Lzj— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) May 31, 2025
Reacting to the chief minister’s remarks, BJP leader and senior spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal said Mann had “crossed all limits”. Writing on ‘X’, Baliawal said, “Mocking Operation Sindoor, he shamelessly asks: ‘Will you wear sindoor in Modi’s name? Is this One Nation, One Husband?’ Let’s set the record straight: There is NO BJP activity sending sindoor to every household.”
The name Operation Sindoor , he said, was used because terrorists were killing Hindus after checking their religion—Sindoor was a marker they used to identify women.
“This operation was about terrorism, martyrdom, and the protection of Indian lives. But how would Bhagwant Mann, a man with zero sensitivity, understand that? A man who:mocks the Indian Army, insults Veer Naris, turns every sacred symbol into a joke. Such a person will never understand the value of Sindoor, which carries sacrifice, love, and devotion.This isn’t humour. This is shamelessness wearing a CM’s turban. You haven’t insulted BJP, Mr. Mann — you’ve insulted every soldier’s widow, every grieving wife, and the spirit of Bharat. Bhagwant Mann must resign immediately and apologise to the entire nation.”
.@BhagwantMann crosses all limits !
Mocking Operation Sindoor, he shamelessly asks:
“Will you wear sindoor in Modi’s name? Is this One Nation, One Husband?”Let’s set the record straight:
👉 There is NO BJP activity sending sindoor to every household. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/ULxrAtEONu— Pritpal Singh Baliawal (@PritpalBaliawal) June 3, 2025
Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too lashed out at PM Modi for “politicising” Operation Sindoor. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief’s remarks had come at a press conference held just minutes after PM Modi, addressing a rally in West Bengal, referenced the cultural and religious significance of Sindoor in the state, highlighting a ritual performed by Bengali women during Durga Puja.
“Please remember that every woman respects Sindoor. They take Sindoor from their husbands. You (PM) are not the husband of everybody. Why don’t you give Sindoor to your Mrs first? Sorry to say, I should not go into all these matters, but you compel us. You compel us to open our mouths by calling for Operation Bengal like Operation Sindoor,” Mamata said, adding that the operation was named Sindoor for political gain.
The Congress had also accused the BJP of trying to take political advantage of Operation Sindoor as a cover-up for its “political and diplomatic failure”.
CM Mann said the Centre should grant a special package to Punjab because it was a border state and was the first to bear the brunt of a war with Pakistan. “Apart from funds we have also asked the Niti Aayog to set up industries in the border districts as cultivation cannot be done next to the International border.”
CM Mann, accompanied by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, also announced a special relief package for scheduled caste families who had taken loans from the SC Land Development and financial corporation but had failed to return it.
Mann said that more than 4,700 persons who owed almost Rs 70 crore to the corporation need not pay the loan back. He said that the waiving of these loans was a standing demand that had not been fulfilled by earlier governments. “Some of these families have been trying to pay back these loans for the past 20 years. We are fulfilling the promise which we made in our last budget speech,” he added.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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