NEW DELHI: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday sent a legal notice to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking an apology over his remarks allegedly linking the saffron party to recent blast incidents in Punjab, accusing him of attempting to “tarnish the reputation, credibility and public standing” of the saffron party.The BJP leader demanded that Mann immediately withdraw the statements and issue a public apology across print, electronic and social media platforms, and refrain from making any further “defamatory or inflammatory” remarks against the BJP or its leaders.The notice also warned that failure to comply within seven days would lead to criminal prosecution for defamation, proceedings related to dissemination of false information, and civil action seeking damages for reputational loss.The move came a day after back-to-back blast incidents in Amritsar and Jalandhar triggered panic in the state and sparked a political confrontation between the ruling AAP and the BJP.Reacting to the incidents on Wednesday, Mann had alleged that the BJP creates unrest in states ahead of elections. “This is BJP’s way of working in any state where they want to contest elections, they first create riots, carry out small blasts, and divide people on the basis of religion and caste,” Mann had said. “This is BJP’s election preparation… Law and order will be maintained and the guilty will be given strict punishment. I want to tell BJP that Punjab has seen many dark days, and now Punjabis will not tolerate this,” he added.In the legal notice issued through advocate Sanket Gupta, Chugh termed the remarks “highly irresponsible, false, defamatory, and inflammatory” and accused Mann of making allegations “without any credible evidence whatsoever”.The notice said Mann’s statement directly or indirectly accused the BJP of orchestrating violent incidents and amounted to “an allegation of the gravest nature made with reckless disregard for truth”.It further stated that the CM’s remarks contradicted the stand taken by Punjab Police and the state’s director general of police, who had indicated that the incidents appeared to be linked to a larger “proxy war” involving foreign hostile elements and alleged ISI-backed networks.The notice defended the BJP as a “nationalist political party committed to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of India” and said the party had consistently maintained a “zero-tolerance policy against terrorism”.It also claimed that Mann’s statement had caused “serious reputational damage” to the BJP and hurt “millions of supporters and workers” of the party across the country.The notice accused Mann of attempting to spread misinformation and disturb democratic discourse. “Your statement is patently false, politically motivated, defamatory per se, and to tarnish the reputation, credibility, and public standing of BJP and its leadership,” it said.Also read: Bhagwant Mann blames BJP for blasts, party threatens legal action to oust CMChugh also alleged that the remarks could provoke public unrest and attract penal consequences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.The controversy erupted after two separate incidents were reported in Punjab on Wednesday. In Amritsar, a suspected explosion was reported late at night near the Khasa cantonment area. Police and Army teams rushed to the spot after hearing the blast.Amritsar SP Aditya S Warrier said bomb disposal and forensic teams were deployed to examine the site. Authorities are still verifying the exact number of blasts and the cause of the incident, while samples have been sent for forensic analysis. No injuries were reported.Security agencies, including forensic teams, bomb squads and dog squads, cordoned off both locations and launched detailed investigations.The incidents came just days after an attempted blast on a railway track in Rajpura in Patiala district on April 27, in which the accused died during the attempt. The back-to-back incidents have raised fresh concerns over security in the border state.Opposition parties targeted the AAP government over the law-and-order situation in Punjab. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia described the incidents as “serious” and accused the government of drawing political conclusions before investigations were complete.Leaders from the BJP and Congress also questioned the state government over security lapses and demanded stronger measures to restore public confidence. Police said investigations into both incidents are underway and more clarity is expected after forensic reports are examined.
