Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on has left for Bengaluru for a four-day 'vipassana' meditation session at a private wellness centre, news agency PTI said on 2 July.
Mann's visit to Bengaluru came amid a relentless attack on him by opposition parties over a controversial video clip after he was declared 'Guru Dokhi' (anti-Guru) by the Akal Takht.
Mann is likely to be back by Monday, the sources told news agency PTI.
What is the Akal Takht row?
The Akal Takht row involving Mann centers around an alleged objectionable video. The Sikh clergy declared him "Guru Dokhi" (a betrayer of the Guru) and "Khalsa Panth Virodhi" (opponent of the Sikh community) over the alleged sacrilege and his subsequent denial by him.
The Akal Takht edict came after Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj claimed that the video - purportedly showing a man resembling Mann - was found to be "authentic" by two forensic laboratories.
It is not the first time Mann visited Bengaluru for such a programme. In February this year, he visited a private nature care centre in Bengaluru for a naturopathy programme.
On Wednesday, Mann rolled out his government's monthly financial assistance scheme for women, Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojna in Dhuri, stating that the AAP fulfilled its final poll "guarantee" made ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is a long-time, regular practitioner of the ancient 10-day Vipassana meditation. Kejriwal frequently undertakes these silent meditation retreats to seek mental peace and spiritual strength.
Punjab BJP slams Mann
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon sharply slammed CM Mann over his visit to Bengaluru, stating that while Punjab is battling the threat of floods, an economic crisis, farmers' hardships, and "growing public anger", he left for Bengaluru for vipassana.
Dhillon alleged that leaving Punjab to fend for itself during such a critical time exposes the government's "misplaced priorities". He said that flood-like conditions have emerged in several parts of the state, with canals and distributaries breaching at multiple locations.
"Farmers are not receiving adequate electricity for paddy cultivation, the state is being pushed deeper into debt, government employees are staging protests, and women have been subjected to a massive betrayal," he claimed.
Dhillon also alleged that Punjab's interests are being continuously ignored.
"People of Punjab will no longer be swayed by the promises and political theatrics of Arvind Kejriwal. In the coming months, people will demand full accountability from this government and will respond decisively in the elections," he said.
Farmers are not receiving adequate electricity for paddy cultivation, the state is being pushed deeper into debt, government employees are staging protests, and women have been subjected to a massive betrayal.
Punjab is going to assembly polls next year.
