On a day Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed he was harassed at Delhi airport at the behest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Punjab BJP asked him to make public the receipt of the fine allegedly imposed on him by the Customs Department.BJP state general secretary Anil Sarin challenged Mann to explain why the department fined him Rs 50,000 and wanted to know what the Chief Minister had brought back from abroad that prompted the action.Speaking to the media in Chandigarh on Friday, Sarin said Mann could not evade accountability by claiming that the head of Customs at Delhi airport was the brother of the Chief Election Commissioner. He dismissed the claim as ridiculous.Sarin accused Mann and the AAP of trying to mislead the public through baseless allegations. He said the Chief Minister must first clarify which items had led to him being stopped at the airport and why the fine was imposed. Before levelling allegations against others, Mann should come clean on the facts, he added.Sarin pointed out that passengers arriving at and departing from Delhi airport are routinely subjected to security checks and customs procedures. He said that while the Chief Minister might be exempt from personal screening under protocol, his luggage would not necessarily enjoy the same exemption, and the exemption would not automatically extend to members of his entourage either.He accused Mann of trying to politicise the Customs Department’s action instead of giving a clear explanation of the incident.


