New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing, Ravneet Singh Bittu, has launched a scathing attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, demanding the immediate revocation of two high-profile appointments of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from Delhi to key positions in Punjab's administrative machinery.

In a strongly worded video statement issued from the national capital, Bittu accused CM Mann of reducing himself to a puppet of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and undermining Punjab's autonomy.

Bittu said there was no ground for appointing Reena Gupta as Chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and Deepak Chauhan as Chairman of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board (PLIDB). Both appointees are non-Punjabi leaders with deep ties to AAP's Delhi leadership.

Bittu described the appointments as a betrayal of Punjab's self-respect, calling both appointees 'anti-Punjab entities' with no stakes in the state's welfare.

'Reena Gupta has a record of targeting Punjab's farmers and industries. She has openly blamed Punjab for pollution in Delhi, especially due to stubble burning,' Bittu said. 'Now she will head a body that decides the fate of the same farmers and industries she vilified.'

He further criticized Gupta's lack of understanding of Punjab's unique environmental challenges, including the Budha Nullah pollution crisis and the industrial needs of Ludhiana.

'Her appointment is not just misplaced but dangerous,' he claimed.

Regarding Deepak Chauhan, Mr Bittu said, 'He is being rewarded not for his competence, but for being a loyal foot soldier of Arvind Kejriwal. His only qualification is having served as a personal assistant to another personal assistant. How can such a person determine Punjab's industrial future?'

Escalating his attack, Bittu accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of surrendering the state's authority to AAP's central leadership. 'Mann has made a mockery of the democratic system. He is nothing more than the number plate on Kejriwal's vehicle,' said Bittu.

He went on to allege that AAP's top Delhi leaders -- Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Satyendar Jain -- are effectively running Punjab from behind the scenes. 'These three prisoners on parole are calling the shots in Punjab while Bhagwant Mann simply follows orders,' Bittu alleged.

Bittu criticised the double standards in CM Mann's approach to Punjab's interests. 'On one hand, he's claiming to protect Punjab's water from going to Haryana, and on the other hand, he's handing over Punjab's key institutions to outsiders. This hypocrisy must end,' he said.

'These appointments are a slap in the face of every proud Punjabi. We will not allow outsiders to rule us through remote control. This fight is about Punjab's self-respect, and we are ready to take it to the streets,' Bittu declared. (ANI)