Bhagwant Mann Calls Operation Sindoor ‘One Nation, One Husband’ Scheme

New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann stoked controversy on Tuesday, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising “sindoor” in the name of nationalism. He lashed out at the party's campaign around Operation Sindoor, asking, “Will you now apply sindoor in Modi’s name? Is this a ‘one nation, one husband’ scheme?”

Mann was responding to questions from the media regarding BJP’s electioneering strategy ahead of the Ludhiana bypoll.

‘Turned Sindoor Into a Joke’

“BJP is seeking votes in the name of Operation Sindoor. These people have turned 'sindoor' into a joke. They are sending sindoor to every home,” Mann said. 

“Is this some kind of 'one nation, one husband' scheme?” he added. 

Though the Press Information Bureau (PIB) later clarified that reports of distributing sindoor were “baseless.”

Operation Sindoor was launched as a retaliatory strike following the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, where 26 civilians lost their lives. 

BJP Slams Bhagwant Mann’s Remarks as ‘Disgraceful and Vulgar’

The BJP on Tuesday strongly condemned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s controversial remarks on Operation Sindoor, calling them "disgraceful" and “vulgarity dressed as leadership.”

“Mann mocked Operation Sindoor by asking, ‘Will you wear sindoor in Modi’s name? Is this One Nation, One Husband?’ This is not satire. It’s a vulgar insult,” BJP’s Chandigarh unit said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“It was about justice for the innocent, not a joke,” the statement read.

Taking a direct hit at the Punjab CM, the BJP post said, “He cannot grasp the meaning of sindoor — a symbol of love, sacrifice, and strength for every Indian woman. Bhagwant Mann didn’t insult the BJP; he insulted every widow of a soldier, every mother of a martyr, every woman of Bharat.” 

Mamata Banerjee Joins Chorus

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also hit out at the Modi government, calling the operation name “politically motivated”. 

“First, he (PM Modi) described himself as a tea-seller. Then, a guard. Now he has come here to sell sindoor,” she said after the Prime Minister’s visit to Bengal.

She criticized the government for using military operations for political mileage while Indian delegations are abroad presenting India’s global stance.