Ludhiana. The run‑up to Punjab’s assembly polls has seen a surge in political confrontations. On Saturday, former Union Minister and BJP figure Ravneet Singh Bittu disrupted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s program in Ludhiana, leading to his arrest by police.

Mann had just concluded a ‘Kisan Mela’ at Punjab Agricultural University. As his convoy prepared to leave, Bittu, flanked by party workers, stepped forward brandishing a bottle of liquor and alleging he wanted to return it to the chief minister, while also accusing Mann of presiding over a drug‑filled Punjab.

During the altercation, Bittu claimed that tomatoes were thrown at the CM’s vehicle, a charge that added fuel to the already tense atmosphere. He warned that the BJP would keep highlighting the state’s drug problem and would not shy away from staging further demonstrations.

Link to Earlier Batala Clash

Bittu referenced a prior incident near Batala, where he said his convoy was pelted with eggs while traveling to Pathankot for the party’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ (Drug‑Free Punjab March). He asserted that his security detail detained three assailants, after which police restored order.

He argued that if opposition leaders can protest BJP rallies, the party’s workers equally have the democratic right to demonstrate against the state government.

Even after being taken into custody, Bittu reiterated the BJP’s commitment to raise Punjab‑specific concerns and promised to organise peaceful protests outside the chief minister’s events and government offices whenever deemed necessary.