Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann stirred controversy on Monday with a jibe at the BJP’s Operation Sindoor election campaign, accusing the party of trivialising a sacred symbol.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Ludhiana bypoll, Mann questioned the BJP’s use of the campaign name, saying: “BJP is seeking votes in the name of Operation Sindoor. These people have turned 'sindoor' into a joke. They are sending sindoor to every home. Will you now apply 'sindoor' in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's name? Is this a 'one nation, one husband' scheme?”

The BJP condemned the comment, which invoked a satirical twist on the BJP’s often-used “One Nation” formula.

The BJP’s Chandigarh unit accused Mann of mocking a serious counterterrorism operation and disrespecting Hindu women, widows of soldiers, and the Indian Army. “Bhagwant Mann just mocked Operation Sindoor, asking: ‘Will you wear sindoor in Modi’s name? Is this One Nation, One Husband?’ This isn’t satire. This is vulgarity dressed as leadership,” the statement read.

BJP Punjab spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal posted a video of Mann’s comment on X, accusing the chief minister of crossing the line.

“You haven’t insulted BJP, Mr. Mann — You’ve insulted every soldier’s widow, every grieving wife, and the spirit of Bharat. Bhagwant Mann must RESIGN immediately and APOLOGISE to the entire nation,” Baliawal said.

The BJP added that the campaign was rooted in a specific context: terrorists targeting Hindu women by identifying them through their sindoor. “Operation Sindoor was launched after Hindu women were targeted by terrorists, identified by their sindoor. It was about justice for the innocent, not a joke.”

The party also made personal accusations against Mann.

“But how would Bhagwant Mann understand? A man who: Abandoned his first wife and children Mocks martyrdom Insults Veer Naris and the Indian Army Mocks sacred symbols women wear with pride," the post continued.

AAP has not officially responded to the BJP’s criticism of Mann’s remark.

Before Mann, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had criticised Narendra Modi over the naming of India's strikeback as 'Operation Sindoor'.

“The name 'Operation Sindoor' was their brainchild. It was politically motivated. I didn’t want to say this, especially when multi-party delegations are visiting several countries to explain India’s position. But today, the Prime Minister visited West Bengal with the sole motive of political propaganda,” Banerjee said following Modi’s visit to Alipurduar on May 29. “He (PM Modi) called himself a tea-seller. Then, a guard. Now he has come here to sell sindoor.”

Operation Sindoor was named following India’s counterstrike to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. The operation, said to be named by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, was symbolically connected to the grief of Hindu women, particularly those whose husbands were killed…as sindoor, or vermilion, is traditionally worn as a symbol of marriage in Hindu culture.

An Indian Army poster after the airstrike read: “Justice is served. Jai Hind,” with the operation’s name displayed in bold letters. One of the O's in Sindoor was illustrated as a bowl of vermilion, some of it spilled... an artistic reference to the bloodshed and sacrifice.

Though reports circulated that BJP workers planned to send sindoor to every household as part of their campaign outreach, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a clarification denying any such directive.