Punjab Govt Under Fire: Congress alleges Govt staged employees as elderly patients for Independence Day publicity
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 17, 2026: Punjab Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Pargat Singh have accused the Bhagwant Mann-led government of allegedly using government employees as elderly beneficiaries during an Independence Day programme, claiming that the presentation was aimed at showcasing the government’s healthcare initiatives.
In separate posts on X, the Congress leaders questioned the manner in which elderly men were presented before Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during the August 15 celebrations.
Warring alleged that employees of the Health Department were presented as elderly beneficiaries who had successfully undergone knee replacement surgeries, despite allegedly not having undergone the procedures.
“Our elders are our pride, not props for political publicity,” Warring said, accusing the state government of turning Independence Day celebrations into a publicity exercise.
He alleged that elderly people were made to dance in front of cameras and were subsequently presented as beneficiaries of the government’s healthcare initiatives. Warring described the episode as a “staged performance” and questioned the government’s claims regarding its health reforms.
“Punjab’s hospitals need doctors, medicines and real treatment, not propaganda and photo ops,” Warring said, adding that senior citizens deserved dignity and the people of Punjab deserved transparency.
Congress leader Pargat Singh also raised similar questions over the identities of the elderly people presented before the Chief Minister.
Pargat Singh claimed that the elderly men shown as patients were actually employees of the same government department and were not beneficiaries of any government scheme.
He said senior citizens deserved the “highest respect and dignity” and accused the government of allegedly using them for publicity and self-promotion.
“If this was done merely to seek praise for the government, it is, in my view, one of the most disgraceful acts by the Aam Aadmi Party,” Pargat Singh said.
The allegations have raised questions over the presentation of beneficiaries during government programmes and the verification process used to establish whether individuals showcased at such events had actually received the claimed healthcare benefits.