Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He questioned the government’s foreign policy and also spoke about the recent controversy over a Pakistani actor working in Diljit Dosanjh’s film. Replying to the MEA’s comments, Mann said, "Don’t we have the right to ask the PM what his foreign policy is? Who has actually supported us? Then why is he always travelling abroad?"

Mann also accused the Prime Minister of visiting many countries without any clear reason or useful results. He joked, "The PM is going to countries we have never even heard of and is accepting awards from very small nations. Even here, the same number of people gather to watch a JCB machine at work!" The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday strongly criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for making fun of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits. The MEA called his comments “irresponsible and regrettable.”

Without directly naming Mann, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We saw some comments made by a top state leader about India’s relations with friendly countries. These comments are irresponsible and should not have been made.” Mann had mocked the government’s publicity around PM Modi’s visits abroad. He said, “There are ads saying Modi stopped a war between two nations. Then why can’t he solve issues between Punjab and Haryana?”

Talking about PM Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan in 2015, Mann said, “Sometimes the PM goes to countries without an invitation. He even landed in Pakistan to eat biryani. We can’t go to Pakistan, but he can.” About the controversy over Diljit Dosanjh’s new film featuring a Pakistani actor, Mann asked why there was selective anger. He said, “They are calling Diljit a ‘traitor’ (Gaddar) now, but before they called him ‘Sardar’. Why this double standard?”

Talking about water problems in Punjab, Mann said, “We don’t have water. I have told the central government not to back down on the Indus Water Treaty so that Punjab can get 23 MAF (million acre-feet) water. If they want to make rivers in Punjab, we should get our share.” He also criticised the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), saying, “BBMB is a burden on Punjab. Punjab pays 60% of its expenses, but BBMB still acts against us.”

Mann objected to deploying CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) at BBMB installations. He said, “Why CISF? Punjab Police is capable enough. One CISF guard costs ₹97,000. They have also sent us a bill of ₹7.5 crore. Why should we pay for this?” Talking about a past incident, Mann said, “After the Pathankot attack, the Punjab government was sent a bill of ₹2.5 crore for using paramilitary forces.”

He also spoke about how much Punjabis contribute to the country. Mann said, “Punjabis have always fought in wars and protected India’s borders. If we can protect Kargil, we can also protect the Nangal dam. So we don’t need CISF (Central Industrial Security Force).” He added, “We Punjabis also give large amounts of rice and wheat to feed the whole country.”