Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann did not welcome the illegal returnees, nor were they taken to the Golden Temple as promised. Mann also objected to the plane’s landing in Amritsar, rather than allowing Punjab the opportunity to warmly receive the distressed Indians. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears to be using the arrival of deportees as a political issue, but also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party. Statements of both the BJP and Cognress leaders highlight the political manoeuvring surrounding the issue, with the parties seemingly vying for media attention. The meeting of his two cabinet ministers, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Harbhajan Singh ETO, with returnees and photo ops with them adds to the growing perception that the return of the deportees is being used to draw political mileage. The returnees were cleared of any wrongdoing, but two of them were arrested by the Patiala police, casting doubt on the accuracy of his information.
