The Shiromani Akali Dal’s women wing on Saturday staged a protest against the Bhagwant Mann government, with Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and SAD MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia leading the demonstration and demanding action over corruption allegations linked to the Chief Minister’s Office and allegations involving Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur. The protesters attempted to march towards the Chief Minister’s residence but were stopped by police barricades. Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Ganieve Kaur Majithia were detained during the protest. Addressing the protesters, Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused the Mann government of trying to suppress questions being raised by the opposition and alleged that the government had failed to provide satisfactory answers on the corruption allegations. She said the SAD women wing would continue to raise issues concerning women and governance in Punjab.
Ganieve Kaur Majithia also targeted the Chief Minister and his wife over the allegations. She demanded an independent probe and said the government could not avoid accountability by dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. The protest comes amid the SAD’s campaign over Enforcement Directorate allegations of a cash-for-transfers racket involving intermediaries allegedly connected to the CMO. The ED has alleged that confidential government information, including transfer lists and policy-related documents, was accessed and allegedly used for financial gains. The agency has sought registration of an FIR in connection with its findings. The SAD has demanded a court-monitored CBI probe into the allegations and recently approached Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria over the matter.
The party has also been targeting the government over an allegation that Gurpreet Kaur sought Rs 5 crore in connection with efforts to suppress a rape case. The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Punjab Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to examine the allegations and submit an Action Taken Report. Dr Gurpreet Kaur has denied the allegations and described them as baseless. The allegations remain subject to investigation and have not been established by any court. The protest is part of the SAD’s broader offensive against the Mann government ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The Akali Dal has been seeking to regain political ground by focusing its campaign on corruption, governance, law and order, and alleged misuse of power. With the women wing taking the protest to the Chief Minister’s residence, the SAD has signalled that the allegations involving the CMO and the Chief Minister’s family will remain prominent issues in its political campaign.
