Why is Punjab opposition leader Partap Singh Bajwa not raising his voice against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the moment, has he taken a vow of silence?
The controversy over reported past email exchanges between Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Jeffrey Epstein has triggered questions about media scrutiny and political accountability. Critics argue that if a similar situation involved an Opposition leader, it would have dominated headlines and prime-time debates. The larger issue now goes beyond one individual and raises concerns about consistency in political and media standards. Is the muted response to the Epstein-linked controversy around a serving minister a case of selective scrutiny, and would the reaction have been very different if the roles were reversed and an Opposition leader was involved ?
केंद्रीय मंत्री हरदीप सिंह पुरी और जेफरी एपस्टीन के बीच कथित पुराने ईमेल आदान-प्रदान को लेकर उठे विवाद ने मीडिया की भूमिका और राजनीतिक जवाबदेही पर सवाल खड़े कर दिए हैं। आलोचकों का कहना है कि अगर इसी तरह का मामला किसी विपक्षी नेता से जुड़ा होता, तो यह खबर लगातार सुर्खियों और प्राइम-टाइम बहसों में छाई रहती। मुद्दा अब सिर्फ एक व्यक्ति तक सीमित नहीं रहा, बल्कि राजनीतिक और मीडिया मानकों की समानता पर बड़ा सवाल बन गया है। क्या एक मौजूदा मंत्री से जुड़े इस एपस्टीन विवाद पर सीमित प्रतिक्रिया चयनात्मक नजरिया दिखाती है और अगर यही मामला किसी विपक्षी नेता से जुड़ा होता तो क्या प्रतिक्रिया अलग होती ?
After the farm laws agitation and its political fallout, the BJP has stepped up its outreach in Punjab, with leaders increasingly seen wearing the pagri and projecting cultural connect with the state. While the party presents this as respect for Punjab’s identity and an effort to rebuild bridges with farmers, the deeper political question remains about trust versus symbolism. In a state where the farm protests left a lasting impact, the issue is whether gestures and optics can change ground sentiment. Can the BJP rebuild farmers’ trust by embracing the pagri and cultural symbolism or do Punjab’s farmers still see the farm laws episode as a breach of trust that optics alone cannot repair ?
