Mann, Sisodia review Jalandhar issues; Majithia flags officials’ presence, AAP defends

Jalandhar: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia on Wednesday held a meeting with party leaders in Jalandhar, where local representatives flagged around 400 issues from their respective blocks.Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia questioned the presence of senior civil and police officials at what he termed a party "volunteer meet", citing visuals shared from the event.In a post on social media, Sisodia said block-level in-charges, youth, women's and SC wing coordinators presented issues directly before the CM, who issued directions for their resolution.Reacting to the development, Majithia alleged that the presence of officials alongside political leaders blurred the line between governance and politics, raising concerns over the neutrality of the state machinery. He also flagged the presence of deputy commissioner Varjeet Walia, commissioner of police Dhanpreet Kaur, municipal corporation commissioner Sandeep Rishi and SSP (rural) Harvinder Singh Virk.Responding to the criticism, AAP Punjab general secretary Deepak Bali justified the presence of officials and said the meeting focused solely on public issues."No party or personal issues were raised, and this was announced from the stage repeatedly, that only community or issues concerning people in their respective areas should be raised. It was a meeting of public representatives, and only the public issues were raised and discussed. CM issued directions to resolve these issues, and in several cases these would be sent to the respective departments to avoid any bias," Bali said.Later in the evening, Mann said the meeting reflected strong grassroots engagement and focused on development and outreach. "It was very pleasing to see the enthusiasm of volunteers. Discussions were held on constituency development and public welfare. Everyone was encouraged to connect with people and work harder for them," he posted on social media..