Desperate for power: Bhagwant Mann mocks Punjab Congress chief's bullock cart ride

A day after Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring arrived at a polling booth in Muktsar on a bullock cart, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a swipe at him in a cryptic social media post on Wednesday.

Warring, accompanied by his wife Amrita Warring, had ridden the cart to cast his vote in the Punjab municipal elections, describing it as a symbolic protest against rising fuel prices.

Polling for several urban local bodies, including eight municipal corporations, was held across Punjab on Tuesday.

Without naming Warring directly, CM Mann wrote in Punjabi on X: “Signs of bad days — campaigning on Defenders while arriving on a traditional cart to cast vote. See how people desperately seek the seat of power.”

The post appeared to mock Warring for using a bullock cart despite owning luxury SUVs.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s remarks, Warring defended his move and said the protest was aimed at highlighting the burden of rising petrol and diesel prices on ordinary people.

“The issue is not whether CM Mann or I can afford fuel. We obviously can. But what about common people?” Warring said, adding that families earning 10,000-12,000 a month were struggling with rising fuel costs.

He also questioned why Mann was upset over a protest directed at the BJP-led Centre. “I am surprised why CM Mann has so many problems with it. Is he the BJP’s spokesperson?” he asked.

Warring further said Mann should have appreciated the symbolic protest since it raised an issue of public concern.

Referring to the Chief Minister’s criticism, Warring said bullock carts continue to be widely used in villages for agricultural transportation.

“I am sure CM Mann must have ridden these bullock carts before graduating to expensive SUVs like the Land Cruiser as Chief Minister,” he remarked.

The spat between CM Mann and Raja Warring comes amid an increasingly heated political atmosphere in Punjab, with the Assembly elections less than a year away.

- Ends