India / Mann rushes towards journo during argument, stopped by AAP leaders

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann landed in a controversy on Tuesday after getting into a heated argument with a reporter during a press conference in Chandigarh.

The Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur reportedly got irked by a journalist’s question that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is orgnising dharna against the Congress government, is emerging as the main opposition party in Punjab, as compared to AAP which remains absent from political discourse.

#WATCH Verbal spat between AAP MP Bhagwant Mann and a journalist, during a press conference in Chandigarh. pic.twitter.com/9csQthaODG

— ANI (@ANI) December 24, 2019

A video of the incident showed the Aam Aadmi Party convenor first dismissing the question and then responding angrily, “Who says Akali Dal is the main opposition party? Who tells you Akali Dal is the main opposition? Which dharnas do they hold…against whom? You are taking Sukhbir Badal seriously, he is a retarded child.”

“Opposition is not defined by dharnas. It is defined by the questions…Did you read who posed maximum questions?” Mann said.

When the reporter continued his questioning, Mann stood up and charged towards him. After arguing for a while, the AAP leader walked out of the press conference.

The Chandigarh Press Club later issued a statement saying the journalists who had gone to attend Mann’s press conference had decided to boycott the event after his outburst.